In November 2023, maintenance staff at Channel Point Apartments (managed by Greystar) lured my service animal off my porch. I searched the property for over an hour, only to later discover that my animal had been kept in the maintenance building less than 100 feet from my unit.

During that time, the maintenance worker called his spouse and arranged for her to take my service animal to their home, where she planned to keep it with their three small dogs—instead of informing me or returning the animal as required by law and basic decency.

Shortly afterward, I began receiving daily “unapproved animal on property” lease violations posted on my door. In response, I personally went to the leasing office and spoke directly with Community Property Manager Kathy Scheiwe, informing her that the animal was a legally recognized service animal. No further communication occurred for over a year and a half—until after my lease was not renewed.

At that point, Ms. Scheiwe pretended to be unaware of the service animal and referred the matter to Greystar’s attorney, Shawn Bankson of Kimball, Tirey & St. John (KTS Law). I provided the legally required documentation for a service animal, which Mr. Bankson acknowledged and accepted. Despite this, I was served with a 3-Day Notice to Perform (Remove the Animal) followed by a false unlawful detainer (eviction) filing.

This confirmed a pattern of retaliation and discrimination intended to force me out of my two-bedroom unit, which could be re-leased to California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) students, consistent with reports that the property was displacing existing residents to make room for student housing.

During court proceedings, management and their counsel were fully aware that I was undergoing dialysis treatment and permitted to bring my service animal into court. Yet they refused to dismiss the case. Right before trial, leasing agent Kimberly Sotomayor falsely filed a document claiming she served a 3-Day Notice to Pay, even though the eviction case had nothing to do with unpaid rent.

When Greystar’s attorneys eventually realized the extent of management’s misconduct, they signed a court-approved stipulated agreement, compensating me with tens of thousands of dollars, paid in two installments. On the final day of the cash-for-keys exchange, Ms. Sotomayor hid the second check behind her back, treating me as if I were a criminal, falsely accusing me of trying to “snatch” the first check—even though it had been delivered through a third-party courier.