Sophia Brennan awarded €2,000 over guide-dog discrimination

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Sophia Brennan was awarded €2,000 by the Workplace Relations Commission on 12 June 2023 after it found discrimination over a restaurant’s refusal to admit her guide dog.

The incident occurred at KOA Kitchen of Asia Restaurant in Malahide on 4 March 2022, when Brennan and her husband arrived for a booked table with her guide dog, Timmy.

The adjudicator found that the restaurant refused entry because of the dog and that Brennan was offered the option of leaving him in a yard outside. She found that the respondent had not rebutted the inference of discrimination.

The WRC ordered the restaurant to pay €2,000 compensation and directed it to learn its obligations under equal status legislation and make staff aware of the relevant issues.