Justia U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals Opinion Summaries

In August 2021, New York City’s Department of Education mandated COVID-19 vaccinations for all staff and contractors working in school settings. This mandate was updated over time, including a religious exemption process. The plaintiffs, New York City public sector employees, challenged the constitutionality of the mandate and the exemption process, both facially and as applied.The Southern District of New York denied a preliminary injunction and dismissed the consolidated amended complaint on the merits. The Eastern District of New York also denied a similar preliminary injunction motion. The plaintiffs appealed these decisions, leading to a consolidated review by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.The Second Circuit affirmed in part and dismissed in part the denials of preliminary injunctions, affirmed the dismissal of the facial challenges, and affirmed in part while vacating and remanding in part the dismissal of the as-applied challenges. The court found that the request to rescind the vaccine mandate was moot due to its official rescission and denied the request for reinstatement and backpay, as the plaintiffs could not show irreparable harm post-termination. The court upheld the dismissal of the facial challenges, finding no evidence that the Citywide Panel process preferred certain religions or was infected with religious animus. However, the court vacated and remanded the as-applied challenges for plaintiffs Natasha Solon and Heather Clark, who plausibly alleged that their religious accommodation requests were improperly denied. View "New Yorkers for Religious Liberty v. City of New York" on Justia Law

Keith Schiebel, a veteran agriculture educator, brought an educational program called the "Mobile Maple Experience" to the Schoharie Central School District (SCSD) campus. Following the event, a student's mother reported that Schiebel made her daughter feel uncomfortable, leading to a Title IX investigation. Schiebel was accused of reaching around the student and touching her breast and buttocks while retrieving supplies. Schiebel denied recalling the incident but speculated that he might have reached around a student to get something. The Title IX coordinator, Kristin DuGuay, found the allegations credible and determined that Schiebel had committed sexual harassment, resulting in a five-year ban of the Mobile Maple Experience from the SCSD campus.The United States District Court for the Northern District of New York dismissed Schiebel's Title IX claim, stating that while he plausibly alleged an erroneous finding, he did not plausibly allege that sex-based bias was a motivating factor. The court declined to exercise supplemental jurisdiction over Schiebel's state law claims.The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reviewed the case and concluded that Schiebel plausibly alleged that SCSD violated Title IX. The court found that the investigation was so deficient as to constitute a sham and that the decision was inexplicable. Additionally, the court noted that the Title IX coordinator exhibited sex-based bias against Schiebel. The Second Circuit reversed the district court's judgment and remanded the case for further proceedings consistent with its opinion. View "Schiebel v. Schoharie Cent. Sch. Dist." on Justia Law

Justine Ferreira sought reimbursement from the New York City Department of Education (DOE) for her disabled son's private education during the 2019-2020 school year, claiming the DOE failed to provide a free appropriate public education (FAPE) as required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The DOE had developed an individualized education plan (IEP) for her son, but Ferreira disagreed with it and enrolled him in a private school, iBrain. She alleged that the DOE's proposed public school placement was inadequate.The Impartial Hearing Officer (IHO) and the State Review Officer (SRO) both found that Ferreira's conduct impeded the DOE's efforts to develop a suitable IEP, as she failed to cooperate and provide necessary information. They concluded that the balance of equities did not favor reimbursement. The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (Judge Torres) granted summary judgment in favor of the DOE, agreeing with the IHO and SRO that Ferreira's actions frustrated the DOE's attempts to fulfill its obligations under the IDEA.On appeal, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit held that a district court must independently evaluate the equities in IDEA reimbursement cases without deferring to the state administrative agency's conclusions. However, the court found that the district court had indeed conducted an independent review and did not abuse its discretion in denying reimbursement. The court affirmed the district court's judgment, concluding that Ferreira's lack of cooperation and obstruction justified the denial of reimbursement for her son's private school tuition. View "Ferreira v. Aviles-Ramos" on Justia Law

The State of New York, through its Attorney General, sued the Niagara-Wheatfield Central School District, alleging that school officials failed to address repeated complaints of student-on-student sexual assault, harassment, and gender-based violence and bullying. The complaint detailed incidents involving four students who suffered from such misconduct and claimed that the school district ignored at least thirty similar incidents. The State argued that the school district's inaction affected not only the victims but also the broader school community, creating an unsafe environment.The United States District Court for the Western District of New York dismissed the case, concluding that the State lacked parens patriae standing. The court reasoned that the incidents were factually distinct and did not demonstrate a broader policy or practice of discrimination by the school district. Without such a policy or practice, the court held that the State could not show that the school district's conduct affected a substantial segment of the population, which is required for parens patriae standing.The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reviewed the case and reversed the district court's decision. The appellate court held that showing an injurious policy or practice is not necessary to satisfy the substantial-segment prong of the parens patriae standard. The court concluded that the State of New York had met its burden of pleading parens patriae standing at this stage of the litigation. The case was remanded for further proceedings consistent with the appellate court's opinion. View "New York v. Niagara-Wheatfield Central School District" on Justia Law

A former public school principal in Brooklyn, New York, brought a lawsuit against the New York City Department of Education (DOE) and its former chancellor, alleging retaliation after she complained about racially segregated sports teams at her school. The principal claimed that the DOE's investigation into her was a retaliatory action for her complaints about race discrimination affecting her students.The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York dismissed the principal's Title VI claim, reasoning that her challenge was related to an employment practice and that the primary objective of the federal funds received by the DOE was not to provide employment. The court also denied her motion for leave to amend her complaint, even after reconsidering its initial decision.The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reviewed the case and held that the principal's retaliation claim was not an action "with respect to any employment practice" under Title VI because her underlying protected activity was unrelated to the DOE’s employment practices. The court concluded that Title VI does provide a private right of action for retaliation claims when the retaliation is for opposing non-employment-related race discrimination. The court affirmed the dismissal of the claim against the former chancellor but vacated the dismissal of the Title VI claim against the DOE and remanded the case for further proceedings. View "Bloomberg v. N.Y.C. Department of Education" on Justia Law

A coalition of organizations and individuals, led by the Chinese American Citizens Alliance of Greater New York, filed a lawsuit against New York City's Mayor and Department of Education Chancellor. They challenged the revised admissions policy for the Discovery Program in the Specialized High Schools (SHSs), alleging it was intended to discriminate against Asian-American applicants by reducing their admission rates. The plaintiffs argued that the new policy, which included an Economic Need Index (ENI) criterion, negatively impacted Asian-American students.The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York granted summary judgment in favor of the City. The court concluded that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate an aggregate disparate impact on Asian-American students, as required under Village of Arlington Heights v. Metropolitan Housing Development Corp. The court held that without showing a group-wide effect, the plaintiffs could not establish the necessary discriminatory effect for an equal protection claim.The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reviewed the case. The court assumed, for the purpose of the appeal, that the plaintiffs could prove the policy changes were made with discriminatory intent. The court concluded that the district court erred in requiring an aggregate disparate impact to establish discriminatory effect. Instead, the court held that if discriminatory intent is proven, a negative effect on individual Asian-American students would suffice to trigger strict scrutiny review. The court found that the exclusion of economically disadvantaged Asian-American students from certain middle schools due to the new ENI criterion constituted a sufficient discriminatory effect. Consequently, the Second Circuit vacated the district court's grant of summary judgment and remanded the case for further proceedings. View "Chinese Am. Citizens All. of Greater N.Y. v. Adams" on Justia Law

Jason Doherty, a former student at Purchase College, State University of New York, who has Asperger Syndrome, sued several administrators of the college under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for declaratory and injunctive relief and emotional distress damages. The lawsuit was initiated after the college issued no-contact orders against Doherty at the request of three other students during his freshman orientation in August 2017.The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York dismissed Doherty's claims, ruling that it lacked subject matter jurisdiction over his claims for declaratory and injunctive relief since they were moot, and that Doherty failed to state a claim for damages because emotional distress damages are not available under Title II of the ADA. The district court based its decision on the Supreme Court’s ruling in Cummings v. Premier Rehab Keller, P.L.L.C., which held that emotional distress damages are not available under the Rehabilitation Act, a law that Title II of the ADA explicitly tracks.On appeal, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the district court's decision. The appellate court agreed that Doherty's claims for declaratory and injunctive relief were moot given that the no-contact orders were not disciplinary actions, were not part of his permanent record, and expired upon his graduation. The court also agreed that emotional distress damages are not available under Title II of the ADA, which explicitly tracks the remedies, procedures, and rights available under the Rehabilitation Act. Finally, the court ruled that Doherty had forfeited any claims for other damages. View "Doherty v. Bice" on Justia Law

The case involves Jane Doe, who sued the Franklin Square Union Free School District on behalf of herself and her minor daughter, Sarah Doe. The lawsuit was filed after the school district refused to grant Sarah an exemption from a school mask mandate implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Jane Doe argued that the school district violated the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and her claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and § 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.The United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York dismissed Jane Doe's constitutional claim, concluding that the school district's conduct survived rational basis review. The court also dismissed her federal statutory claims for failure to exhaust administrative remedies under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).On appeal, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit concluded that the school district did not violate Jane Doe or Sarah’s constitutional rights by denying their request for an accommodation. However, the court agreed with Jane Doe that she was not required to satisfy the exhaustion requirement of the IDEA and held that the district court erred in dismissing Jane Doe’s ADA and § 504 claims. The court affirmed in part and reversed in part the judgment of the district court and remanded the case for further proceedings. View "Doe v. Franklin Square Union Free Sch. Dist." on Justia Law

In the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, the appellant, Brittany Jones, claimed she was sexually abused by a teacher between 2009 and 2011, when she was a high school student. She brought her claims under the Child Victims Act (CVA) of New York, which revived time-barred claims of child sexual abuse victims, and provided a two-year window from August 14, 2019 to August 14, 2021 for the filing of such claims. However, Jones filed her suit four months before the commencement of this window. The United States District Court for the Western District of New York, in a summary judgment, ruled in favor of the school district, holding that Jones's premature filing created a valid statute-of-limitations defense for the school district.This decision was appealed and the key question before the appellate court was whether the six-month waiting period created by the CVA was a statute of limitations. The appellate court concluded that neither the text of the CVA nor any precedent from New York courts provided clear guidance on this issue. Given the significant state policy interests implicated by the CVA, the appellate court decided to certify the question to the New York Court of Appeals: whether the six-month waiting period for claims under the CVA establishes a statute of limitations, a condition precedent to bringing suit, or some other affirmative defense. The court reserved its decision on the appeal pending the response from the New York Court of Appeals. View "Jones v. Cattaraugus-Little Valley Central School District" on Justia Law

This case is about a dispute between Richard Roe and St. John’s University (SJU) and Jane Doe. Roe, a male student at SJU, was accused of sexually assaulting two female students, Doe and Mary Smith, on separate occasions. SJU's disciplinary board found Roe guilty of non-consensual sexual contact with both Doe and Smith and imposed sanctions, including a suspension and eventual expulsion. Roe then sued SJU, alleging that his rights under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and state contract law had been violated. He also sued Doe for allegedly defaming him in an anonymous tweet accusing him of sexual assault. The United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York dismissed Roe's Title IX and state law claims, and declined to exercise jurisdiction over his defamation claim. On appeal, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the district court's decision, holding that Roe's complaint failed to state a plausible claim of sex discrimination under Title IX. The court found that, while Roe had identified some procedural irregularities in SJU's disciplinary proceedings, these were not sufficient to support a minimal plausible inference of sex discrimination. Furthermore, the court ruled that Roe's hostile environment claim was fatally deficient, as the single anonymous tweet at the center of his claim was not, standing alone, sufficiently severe to support a claim of a hostile educational environment under Title IX. View "Roe v. St. John's University" on Justia Law