Trial attorneys John H. Adams and Matthew P. Massey of Beggs & Lane secured a verdict on behalf of a disabled U.S. Army Veteran in a federal civil rights jury trial this week. Over five years ago, the Marine Corps League of Pensacola introduced our partner John H. Adams to a disabled Army Veteran named Matthew Kopcsak. Matt was severely injured while serving our country during Operation Iraqi Freedom. In 2015, Matt’s physicians with the Department of Veteran Affairs awarded Matt a service dog named Sarge to assist him with his post-traumatic stress disorder. When Matt requested permission from his landlords to have a service dog in the home he was leasing, Matt’s landlords forced Matt and his family to move. Upon learning of this violation of Matt’s federally-protected rights, John H. Adams and Matthew Massey filed a law suit on Matt’s behalf in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida. On December 1, the jury awarded Matt $350,000 in actual and punitive damages.
Beggs & Lane supports our Veterans and helps them pursue the rights afforded them under Federal and State law. We are proud to have had the privilege to remedy the injustice suffered by Matt and his service dog, Sarge.