A University of Michigan student says he got stuck with nightmare roommates. He says they urinated in his dog’s water bowl, destroyed his property, and then he felt they tormented him after he came out as gay.
Thursday he asked a judge to force one to stay away from him.
Matthew Mansour says he leased a student apartment through the company Landmark. They rent apartments like dorms - so he got three roommates he didn’t know.
Right away there were problems. He has a therapy dog. His roommates didn’t want to live with a dog - so one of them testified in court - that he urinated in the dog’s dish.
They called Matthew names. Matthew says after he came out as gay things escalated. He left for a get-a-way and many of his belongings were thrown out the window,
The judge says there was little solid evidence his sexuality was a motivating factor for what happened to him, because things were bad before and after he came out.
It came to a head when while Matthew was away - his belongings were thrown out a window.
His roommate Abhishek McFarland, testified that his guests did the damage, not him.
The judge however agreed the living conditions were intolerable due to the McFarland’s behavior. He issued the personal protection order against McFarland, which will result in his eviction.
Matthew says it is a relief to have the judge recognize his situation. He and his attorney say they hope it sends a message that bullying, even amongst adults, will not be tolerated.
