Iraq War Veteran Sues Bronx KFC Over Alleged Service Dog Snub

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The Colonel wasn't very nice to the Sergeant.

That is the claim one veteran has made against a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant in The Bronx.

Disabled Iraq Veteran Sgt. Charles Hernandez, 50, is suing the chicken chain claiming he was turned away because he brought his service dog into the West Fordham Road restaurant with him in February.

Hernandez, who suffers from PTSD and also spent three months working at Ground Zero after 9/11, said his dog Valor helps him with balance and prevents panic attacks.

He also said Valor wears a bright green vest and tags marking him as a working animal.

None of that mattered to the restaurant clerk, Hernandez told the New York Post. One employee also referred to him as "Papi," saying, "Papi, there is no dogs allowed," Hernandez said.

Hernandez, who won an undisclosed settlement in 2011 from McDonald's in a similar incident in Times Square, filed suit Wednesday for $1 million.

His lawyer, David Lackowitz, told the Post Hernandez client decided to file this latest suit because "the more he tried to calmly explain the law to the workers, the more agitated they got."

"KFC Corporation is absolutely committed to abiding by all federal laws, including the ADA … and expects its franchisees to do the same," spokesman Rich Maynard told the Daily News.

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