Leon v. Rockland Psychiatric CenterLeon v. Rockland Psychiatric Center
OPINION & ORDER
Pro se Plaintiff Joseph Leon (“Plaintiff’) brings this Action against the Rockland Psychiatric Center (“RPC”), a psychiatric facility operated by the New York State Office of Mental Health, and Patricia Soto (“Soto” and collectively with RPC, “Defendants”) pursuant to the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (“ADEA”), the New York State Human Rights Law (“NYSHRL”), the New York City Human Rights Law (“NYCHRL”), and the Fourteenth Amendment.
I. Background
A. Factual Background
The following facts are drawn from Plaintiffs Amended Complaint, the documents appended thereto, and the filings Plaintiff submitted in opposition to the instant Motion, and are taken as true for the purpose of resolving the Motion.
On September 8, 2014, Plaintiff interviewed for a Mental Health Therapy Aid Trainee position at RPC. (Am. Compl. 29.) On September 17, 2014, Soto left a voice-mail for Plaintiff explaining that her colleagues asked her to offer Plaintiff a job, but first Soto needed him to “check out some retirement things” because he had disclosed during the interview that he was a member of a New York State Public Pension Fund. (Id. at 21, 35.) Plaintiff attempted to contact Soto but was unable to reach her so he left messages for her on two answering machines. (Id. at 21.) Plaintiff explained that he had spoken to the “NYS & Local Retirement System” and that there were “no obstacles or conditions of any kind whatsoever that would prevent [Soto] from hiring” him. (Id.) Plaintiff “clearly” stated that Soto would not have to take any extra steps or actions to hire him because of his retiree status.
On September 24, 2014, Soto called Plaintiff and informed him that RPC could not hire him and that he could only be hired as the last person on the civil service list of people who had the same civil service exam score as Plaintiff due to his status as a retiree collecting retirement benefits. (Id.; see also id. at 18 (“I was told I would be hired last, from a pool of about 292 people with the same civil service test score, because I’m a civil service] retiree.”).) Plaintiff contends that this policy is illegal and discriminated against him on the basis of his age. (Id. at 22; see also id. at 8 (“The RPC claim that the $30,000 earnings limitation on retirees prevented my hiring is totally false. Publication V01648 and a letter to me from the retirement system prove that I could have been hired by RPC at any time with no conditions or obstacles or special permissions of any kind whatsoever.”).)
Following his phone conversation with Soto, Plaintiff contacted the “NYS and Local Retirement System” and it confirmed “that there [was] no such policy that could be applied to [him].” (Id. at 22.) Plaintiff then attempted to contact Soto again to explain his findings. (Id.) She did not answer her phone, so Plaintiff sent her an email explaining that he spoke to the “NYS & Local Retirement System” and the “NYS Civil Service,” which confirmed that his status as a retiree would not prevent RPC from hiring him. (Id. at 23.)
After RPC declined to hire Plaintiff, he filed a complaint with the New York State Division of Human Rights (“NYSDHR”), (Pl.’s Mem. of Law in Opp’n to Mot. To Dismiss (“Pl.’s Opp’n”) Ex. 5 (Dkt. No. 97)), alleging that RPC discriminated against him on the basis of his age in violation of the ADEA and the NYSHRL, (id.). Specifically, Plaintiff alleged that RPC’s decision to defer his application based on his status as a retiree collecting retirement benefits was discriminatory. (Id.) The NYSDHR determined that “[t]he evidence gathered during the course of [its] investigation [was] not sufficient to support [Plaintiffl’s allegation of discrimination because of age.” (PL’s Opp’n Ex. 6.) In May 2015, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission adopted the findings of the NYSDHR and informed Plaintiff of his right to file a lawsuit in federal or state court. (Am. Compl. 10.)
B. Procedural History
Plaintiff filed the Complaint on June 25, 2016. (Dkt. No. 2.) The Amended Complaint was filed on October 13, 2015. (Dkt. No. 16.) Pursuant to a Scheduling Order issued by the Court on April 7, 2016, (Dkt. No. 69), Defendants filed the Motion and accompanying papers on June 7, 2016, (Dkt. Nos. 87-91). Plaintiff filed his papers in opposition to the Motion on July 7 and July 12, 2016. (Dkt. Nos. 97-98.) Defendants filed their reply brief in further support of the Motion on July 20, 2016. (Dkt. No. 99.)
II. Discussion
A. Standard of Review
“The standards of review for a motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(1) for lack of subject matter jurisdiction and under 12(b)(6) for failure to state a claim are ‘substantively identical.’ ” Gonzalez v. Option One Mortg. Corp., No. 12-CV-1470,
1. Rule 12(b)(1)
“A federal court has subject matter jurisdiction over a cause of action only when it has authority to adjudicate the cause pressed in the complaint.” Bryant v. Steele,
2. Rule 12(b)(6)
“While a complaint attacked by a Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss does not need detailed factual allegations, a plaintiffs obligation to provide the grounds of his [or her] entitlement to relief requires more than labels and conclusions, and a formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause of action will not do.” Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly,
“[W]hen ruling on a defendant’s motion to dismiss, a judge must accept as true all of the factual allegations contained in the complaint.” Erickson v. Pardus,
Where, as here, a plaintiff proceeds pro se, the court must “eonstrue[ ] [his or her complaint] liberally and interpret[] [it] to raise the strongest arguments that [it] suggest[s].” Sykes v. Bank of Am.,
B. Analysis
1. Plaintiffs Claims Against RPC
Plaintiff contends that RPC violated the ADEA, the NYSHRL, the
“[A]s a general matter, states enjoy sovereign immunity from suit in federal court, even if the claim arises under federal law.” Harrison v. New York,
“Although the [Eleventh] Amendment, by its terms, bars only federal suits against state governments by citizens of another state or foreign country, it has been interpreted also to bar federal suits against state governments by a state’s own citizens.” Woods,
RPC, a state psychiatric facility operated by the New York State Office of Mental Health, has met its burden here. At least two cases have held that RPC is an arm of the state, see Finn v. N.Y. State Office of Mental Health-Rockland Psychiatric Ctr., No. 08-CV-5142,
2. Plaintiffs Claims against Soto
Plaintiff alleges that Soto instituted a fictitious policy that prevented him from being hired by RPC and discriminated against him on the basis of his age in violation of the ADEA, the NYSHRL, and the NYCHRL. (Am. Compl. 6, 8.) Plaintiff also contends that Soto violated his Fourteenth Amendment right to earn a living at the facility of his choice and denied him due process of law. (Pl.’s Opp’n 16.) The Court interprets Plaintiffs opposition papers to raise two different Fourteenth Amendment claims: (1) a claim based upon the Equal Protection Clause and (2) a claim based upon the Due Process Clause. (Id.) For these violations, Plaintiff seeks compensatory damages and injunc-tive relief, i.e., a job offer. (Am. Compl. 9.)
a. Plaintiffs Fourteenth Amendment Claims
i. Equal Protection
Plaintiff contends that he was treated differently than others in “similar conditions and circumstances” in violation of the Equal Protection Clause because Soto told him that he could only be hired “last from a group of 321 people” since he was receiving retirement benefits. (Pl.’s Opp’n 16; Am. Compl. 18 (“I was told I would be hired last, from a pool of about 292 people with the same civil service test score, because I’m a civil service] retiree.”).) Defendants argue that Plaintiffs claim must be dismissed because he has not pled that he was treated differently from similarly situated individuals based on a protected status. (Defs.’ Reply Mem. of Law in Supp. of Mot. To Dismiss (“Defs.’ Reply”) 3 (Dkt. No. 99).)
“Age is not a protected class under the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause.” Shein v. N.Y.C. Dep’t of Educ., No. 15-CV-4236,
An equal protection claim premised on selective enforcement requires a showing that:
(1) [the plaintiff], compared with others similarly situated, was selectively treated, and (2) the selective treatment was motivated by an intention to discriminate on the basis of impermissible considerations, such as race or religion, or to punish or inhibit the exercise of constitutional rights, or by a malicious or bad faith intent to injure the plaintiff.
Witt,
Even applying the less stringent standard, the Court finds that Plaintiff has failed to adequately allege others “similarly situated.”
In sum, Plaintiff alleges that he was treated differently than similarly situated individuals on the basis of his age, but he has not alleged the ages, or any other relevant characteristics, of those individuals. Accordingly, Plaintiffs Equal Protection claim is dismissed.
ii. Due Process
In his opposition papers, Plaintiff contends that Defendants have “deprived [him] of the right to earn a living of [his] choice at [RPC], and earn money to buy things, and are attempting to deny [him] the due process of law to fight in court for [his] living of choice.” (Pl.’s Opp’n 16.) The Court interprets this argument as an attempt to raise a procedural due process claim.
“To have a property interest in a benefit, a person clearly must have more than an abstract need or desire for it. He must have more than a unilateral expectation of it.” Bd. of Regents of State Colls. v. Roth,
Even if a plaintiff cannot demonstrate a property interest, “[ljiberty, as enshrined in the Fourteenth Amendment, is a broad notion, and one of the freedoms it encompasses is the freedom to engage in any of the common occupations of life.” Donato v. Plainview-Old Bethpage Cent. Sch. Dist.,
In this case, as a job applicant, Plaintiff was a prospective employee. Following an interview, Soto called Plaintiff and explained that she was told to offer him a job but first needed him to “check out some retirement things.” (Am. Compl. 21.) Plaintiff never received a job offer because Soto determined that RPC could not hire him due to the fact that he was receiving retirement benefits. Therefore, Plaintiff does not have a constitutionally protected property interest in his employment with RPC. See Abramson,
Nor has Plaintiff pled that Soto deprived him of a constitutionally protected liberty interest. Nothing about Soto’s decision to withhold an offer prevents Plaintiff from seeking employment with any other employer. Cf. Crenshaw v. City of New Haven, No. 14-CV-1249,
Because Plaintiff has failed to plead a constitutionally protected liberty or property interest, the Court need not determine whether he was deprived of such an interest without due process of law. Accordingly, Plaintiffs Due Process claim is dismissed.
b. Plaintiffs ADEA Claim
The ADEA provides in part that “[i]t shall be unlawful for an employer ... to fail or refuse to hire ... any individual ... because of such individual’s age.” 29 U.S.C. § 623(a). “To establish a prima facie case [under the ADEA], a plaintiff ... must show (1) that [he or] she was within the protected age group, (2) that [he or] she was qualified for the position, (3) that [he or] she experienced adverse employment action, and (4) that such action occurred under circumstances giving rise to an inference of discrimination.” Bucalo v. Shelter Island Union Free Sch. Dist.,
Furthermore, to the extent that Plaintiffs ADEA claim is against Soto in her official capacity as an Associate Personnel Administrator of RPC, Plaintiffs claim for damages is barred by the Eleventh Amendment. See Perciballi v. New York, No. 09-CV-6933,
Plaintiff may, however, seek an injunction for prospective relief, i.e., an offer of future employment, against Soto in her official capacity. See In re Deposit Ins. Agency,
Accordingly, Plaintiffs ADEA claim is dismissed without prejudice.
c. Plaintiffs NYSHRL Claim
Plaintiff alleges that Soto discriminated against him on the basis of his age in violation of the NYSHRL. Defendants argue that Plaintiffs NYSHRL claim is barred because he filed a claim with the NYSDHR alleging age discrimination before filing this Action. (Defs.’ Mem. 8-9.)
Any person claiming to be aggrieved by an unlawful discriminatory practice shall have a cause of action in any court of appropriate jurisdiction for damages ... and such other remedies as may be appropriate, ... unless such person had filed a complaint hereunder or with any local commission on human rights....
N.Y. Exec. Law § 297(9). The Second Circuit has interpreted this section to mean that NYSHRL claims “may not be brought again as a plenary action in another court” if they are first brought before the NYSDHR. York v. Ass’n of Bar of City of N.Y.,
Plaintiff contends that he did not elect to bring his claims before the NYSDHR, (Pl.’s Opp’n 24), but this argument is belied by the documents he attached to the Amended Complaint and submitted in opposition to Defendants’ Motion. Plaintiff has submitted a copy of the verified complaint he filed with the NYSDHR alleging age discrimination, (Pl.’s Opp’n Ex. 5), a letter dated October 20, 2014 from the NYSDHR acknowledging receipt of the complaint, (id.), a copy of his rebuttal submission before the NYSDHR, (Pl.’s Opp’n Ex. 7), and a copy of the NYSDHR’s determination, (PL’s Opp’n Ex. 6). Plaintiff also included a letter from the NYSDHR, dated October 16, 2014, which informed Plaintiff that the NYSDHR could not process his complaint because it was incomplete and instructed him to complete a new complaint form. At the bottom of this letter, Plaintiff has hand-written that he “never filled out or returned the complaint form referred to, or any other complaint form, in response to this letter.” (Letter from Plaintiff to Court (July 9, 2016) Ex. 23 (Dkt. No. 98).) Even if Plaintiff did not respond to this letter, the NYSDHR acknowledged receipt of Plaintiff’s complaint on October 20, 2014 without identifying any defects, (PL’s Opp’n Ex. 5), and Plaintiff thereafter submitted an opposition to Defendants’ submission, (PL’s Opp’n Ex. 7). If Plaintiffs complaint was in some way deficient when it was first filed, the NYSDHR’s ultimate determination and Plaintiffs participation in that process show clearly that Plaintiff filed a complaint and that complaint, was acted on by the NYSDHR.
Accordingly, Plaintiffs NYSHRL claim is dismissed with prejudice.
d. Plaintiffs NYCHRL Claim
Plaintiff, a resident of Sullivan County, NY, alleges that Soto discriminated against him on the basis of his age in violation of the NYCHRL. “To state a claim under the NYCHRL, the [pjlaintiff must allege that the [defendant discriminated against h[im] within the boundaries of New York City.” Robles v. Cox & Co.,
III. Conclusion
Based on the foregoing analysis, the Court grants Defendants’ Motion in its entirety. Plaintiffs claims against the RPC and his NYSHRL and NYCHRL claims are dismissed with prejudice. However,
Additionally, Defendants are given 15 days from the date of this Opinion to notify the Court as to the status of any litigation between Defendants and Plaintiff in state court.
The Clerk of Court is respectfully requested to modify the caption to conform with the caption as it appears at the beginning of this Opinion and to terminate the pending Motion. (Dkt. No. 87.)
SO ORDERED.
Notes
. Plaintiffs original Complaint names "New York State, Office of Mental Health, Rockland Psychiatric Center” as the defendant. In a cover letter to his Amended Complaint, Plaintiff explains that he only wishes to pursue claims against Soto and RPC, and therefore removed any mention of New York State and the Office of Mental Health from the Amended Complaint. (Am. Compl. 4 (Dkt. No. 16).) Accordingly, the Clerk of Court is instructed to amend the caption to conform with the above.
. The docket reflects that Plaintiff filed two different amended complaints. (See Dkt. Nos. 15-16.) In a letter to the Court, Plaintiff explained that the amended complaint that was filed later in time was meant to replace the earlier filed document. (See Am. Compl. 1.) Therefore, for purposes of this Motion, the
When the Court cites to the Amended Complaint, the page number refers to the PDF page rather than the ECF number found at the top of the page or the page numbers found on the individual documents themselves.
. Plaintiff attached to his Amended Complaint a document from the Office of the New York State Comptroller, dated September 22, 2015, describing Plaintiff’s status as a member of the New York State and Local Employees’ Retirement System and the income restrictions imposed on members. (Am. Compl. 16.) The document explains that Plaintiff may work in post-retirement public employment if he chooses to do so, but his income will be subject to earning limits set forth in § 212 of the New York Retirement and Social Security Law. According to the State Comptroller’s letter, § 212 limits a retiree's earnings to $30,000 while he collects retirement benefits.
. "The Judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to extend to any suit in law or equity, commenced or prosecuted against one of the United States by Citizens of another State, or by Citizens or Subjects of any Foreign State.” U.S. Const, amend. XI.
. This Court has previously noted that RPC is an arm of the state, although it was undisputed in that case. See Henny v. New York State,
. To the extent that Plaintiff is attempting to raise a claim against the RPC pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983, that claim is similarly barred by sovereign immunity. See Lane v. N.Y. State Office of Mental Health, No. 11-CV-1941,
. Plaintiff states that he is no longer seeking injunctive relief based upon a conversation he had with opposing counsel. (Pl.’s Opp’n 24.) Defendants’ counsel denies ever telling Plaintiff he could not seek an injunction. (Letter from Abigail Rosner, Esq., to Court (Mar. 15, 2016) (Dkt. No. 57).) As explained in further detail below, Plaintiff is within his rights .to seek an injunction ■ and the Court considers his request proper notwithstanding anything that Defendants’ counsel allegedly told him.
. The Second Circuit has recognized that there is a question as to whether selective enforcement claims in the public employment context survived Engquist, but it has not yet decided the issue. See Kamholtz v. Yates Cty.,
. It is also possible that Plaintiff is attempting to raise a substantive due process claim. “For a substantive due process claim to survive a Rule 12(b)(6) dismissal motion, it must allege governmental conduct that is so egregious, so outrageous, that it may fairly be said to shock the contemporary conscience.” Velez v. Levy,
. Even though Plaintiff has not stated that he is suing Soto in her individual and official capacities, interpreting Plaintiff’s allegations to raise the broadest claims that they suggest, the Court assumes that Plaintiff has sued Soto in her official capacity pursuant to the Ex parte Young exception to sovereign immunity and in her individual capacity.
. Plaintiff has filed a suit against RPC and Soto in state court. (Letter from Plaintiff to Court (May 27, 2016) 2 (Dkt. No. 86).) Plaintiff appeared in New York State Supreme Court in June 2016 for oral argument in that case. (Letter from Plaintiff to Court (June 17, 2016) 1 (Dkt. No. 96).)