Golian v. N.Y.C. Admin. for Children Servs.
Golian v. N.Y.C. Admin. for Children Servs.
Opinion of the Court
*723This case arises from a physical altercation between the plaintiff, Jessica Golian, a New York City public school teacher, and the mother of two of her students, Jennifer DeJesus. Golian reported to New York State child protection officials that DeJesus's children were possibly victims of child neglect after observing that the children had long-term difficulties at school. Although Golian requested that the child protection officials keep her identity confidential, DeJesus eventually learned that Golian was the person who filed the neglect report. DeJesus then allegedly assaulted Golian outside the school DeJesus's children attend.
In this action, Golian seeks relief pursuant to
The municipal defendants have moved to dismiss pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. That motion is granted . Golian's federal claims are dismissed with prejudice , and Golian's state law claims against the municipal defendants are dismissed without prejudice .
Golian also brings state law claims against DeJesus for the alleged physical assault. DeJesus has not appeared in this action. Nevertheless, a default judgment will not issue against her because the Court declines to exercise supplemental jurisdiction over Golian's state law claims in light of the dismissal of her federal claims against the municipal defendants. Golian's claims against DeJesus are therefore dismissed without prejudice .
I.
In deciding a motion to dismiss pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the allegations in the complaint are accepted as true, and all reasonable inferences must be drawn in the plaintiff's favor. McCarthy v. Dun & Bradstreet Corp.,
*724II.
A.
The Court accepts the following allegations as true for purposes of this motion to dismiss.
Golian works as a special education teacher at the Lillian Weber School for the Arts ("P.S. 84"), a New York City public school. Compl. ¶¶ 9, 15-16 (ECF No. 6). DeJesus's two sons were Golian's students. Compl. ¶¶ 17, 20.
During the 2015 school year, Golian began to notice that DeJesus's sons had serious attendance and learning issues. Compl. ¶ 17. Other teachers at P.S. 84 noticed that DeJesus's sons smelled like marijuana or heavy perfume designed to mask the smell of drugs. Compl. ¶ 19. DeJesus's sons told Golian that they were late every day because DeJesus could not get out of bed. Compl. ¶ 20.
The staff at P.S. 84, including Golian, began to suspect that DeJesus's drug use caused her sons' lateness. Compl. ¶ 21. Golian discussed the attendance issues with DeJesus, but noticed no change in the children's attendance. Compl. ¶ 22. One of DeJesus's sons was required to repeat a grade because of poor performance, which teachers at P.S. 84 attributed to lateness and parental neglect. Compl. ¶ 23.
School administrators eventually decided that DeJesus must be reported to the New York State Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment (the "SCR"). Compl. ¶ 24.
Golian expressed concern to the school administrators about reporting DeJesus to the SCR. Compl. ¶ 27. Golian told the administrators that DeJesus knew where Golian lived because they were neighbors.
Golian called the SCR in June 2015 to report DeJesus's possible neglect. Compl. ¶ 30. Golian told the SCR operator that she would prefer to remain anonymous because she feared DeJesus might retaliate physically. Compl. ¶ 31. The SCR operator told Golian that the SCR does not accept anonymous reports but her name would remain confidential and would not be disclosed to DeJesus. Compl. ¶ 32.
*725Harper, an ACS attorney, called Golian in March 2016 to inform her that the ACS intended to move forward with a case against DeJesus. Compl. ¶ 33. Harper asked Golian if she would testify against DeJesus.
On March 9, 2016, Harper subpoenaed Golian to testify against DeJesus in a Family Court proceeding regarding the child neglect charges. Compl. ¶ 35.
On April 18, 2016, DeJesus approached Golian outside P.S. 84 and began to insult her. Compl. ¶¶ 37-38. DeJesus then punched and kicked Golian, slammed her to the ground, chased after her, and attacked her repeatedly. Compl. ¶ 39. During the attack, DeJesus stated in substance, "I know what you did. I know you called ACS on me." Compl. ¶ 40. Another person eventually pulled DeJesus off Golian, and Golian was able to run into the school to call the police. Compl. ¶¶ 39, 41.
B.
Golian asserts against the ACS and Harper a claim under
The municipal defendants have moved pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6) to dismiss the claims against them.
III.
A.
As an initial matter, two of the municipal defendants must be dismissed regardless of the merits of Golian's claims.
First, as Golian's counsel conceded at oral argument, the ACS is a department of New York City and therefore not a suable entity. Ampratwum v. City of New York, No. 11-cv-6111 (DLC),
Second, Harper is entitled to absolute prosecutorial immunity.
A prosecutor acting within the scope of his duties is entitled to absolute immunity with respect to prosecutorial activities that are "intimately associated with the judicial phase of the criminal process." Cornejo v. Bell,
"Mutatis mutandis, absolute immunity also extends to non-prosecutor officials when they are performing 'functions analogous to those of a prosecutor.' " Cornejo,
The Second Circuit Court of Appeals has explicitly held, and Golian does not dispute, that ACS attorneys, such as Harper, are entitled to prosecutorial immunity because they perform "functions analogous to those of a prosecutor," id. at 127 (quoting Butz,
Golian's complaint presents a threshold concern in assessing whether the conduct for which Harper is being sued falls within prosecutorial immunity: Golian fails to allege precisely what Harper did that revealed her identity to DeJesus and therefore allegedly violated her constitutional rights. Golian's complaint alleges only that (1) she told Harper her name and desire for that information to remain confidential, (2) Harper subpoenaed Golian to testify at the Family Court hearing against DeJesus, (3) Golian did not appear at the hearing, and (4) DeJesus later said to Golian "I know what you did. I know you called ACS on me." Compl. ¶¶ 34-35, 40. The complaint does not allege how DeJesus learned of Golian's identity or who disclosed that information to her, much less that it was a product of Harper's conduct. Rather, Golian concedes that the person who disclosed her identity to DeJesus could be "Harper or another City employee." ECF No. 28, at 11 (emphasis added).
Golian's complaint appears to imply that Harper's issuance of the subpoena is what revealed her identity to DeJesus in violation of the Due Process Clause. If that is Golian's intent, then Harper is entitled to prosecutorial immunity. Issuing a subpoena for a witness at a court hearing is plainly part of the prosecutorial function. See Simon v. City of New York,
The complaint is devoid of any other specific allegation of conduct by Harper that would fall outside the zone of conduct protected by absolute prosecutorial immunity. Accordingly, Harper is dismissed from this action.
*727B.
In any event, Golian has failed to allege a viable claim under
Golian alleges that the municipal defendants violated her Fourteenth Amendment right to substantive due process by intentionally and recklessly disclosing her identity to DeJesus and by acting with deliberate indifference to safeguarding her from the physical harm perpetrated by DeJesus. Compl. ¶¶ 42-51.
To state a claim under
"Substantive due process protects against government action that is arbitrary, conscience-shocking, or oppressive in a constitutional sense, but not against government action that is incorrect or ill advised." Cunney v. Bd. of Trs. of Vill. of Grand View,
"[N]othing in the language of the Due Process Clause itself requires the State to protect the life, liberty, and property of its citizens against invasion by private actors." DeShaney v. Winnebago Cnty. Dep't of Soc. Serv.,
*728In the Second Circuit, there are "two separate and distinct theories" under which a state actor's failure to protect against private violence can violate substantive due process-the "special relationship" theory and the "state-created[ ]danger" theory. Benzman v. Whitman,
As explained below, Golian's claim falls into neither category of due process liability recognized by the Court of Appeals, and the municipal defendants' conduct does not shock the conscience.
1.
The Court of Appeals locates the origins of the special relationship theory in the Supreme Court's observation that "in certain limited circumstances the Constitution imposes upon the State affirmative duties of care and protection with respect to particular individuals." DeShaney,
In the substantive due process analysis, it is the State's affirmative act of restraining the individual's freedom to act on his own behalf-through incarceration, institutionalization, or other similar restraint of personal liberty-which is the "deprivation of liberty" triggering the protections of the Due Process Clause, not its failure to act to protect his liberty interests against harms inflicted by other means.
Involuntary custody for purposes of substantive due process does not require the plaintiff to be in the physical custody of the State, but some form of functional state control over the person is required. The Court of Appeals has held that a parolee and the State share a custodial relationship for purposes of substantive due process because the parolee is in the State's legal custody and "his or her freedom of movement, while not as restricted as that of an incarcerated prisoner, is nonetheless somewhat curtailed." Jacobs v. Ramirez,
Golian seeks to expand the definition of involuntary custody further than it has been expanded before. Golian does not allege that she was imprisoned, institutionalized, or otherwise subjected to a traditional form of state control. Rather, she urges that state employees required by law to report suspicions of child maltreatment and disclose their names in such reports are under the involuntary custody of the State.
*729This is not the kind of relationship the Court of Appeals envisioned when it described the "limited circumstances" under which affirmative state action may create a duty of care under the Due Process Clause. See
Golian cites no support for the proposition that accepting employment with such a condition is sufficient to create a special relationship with the State based on restraint. The reporting requirement applies to both private and public persons listed in the statute who, by virtue of their occupations, have reasons to have contacts with children. See
Accordingly, Golian has failed to establish that her claim falls within the special relationship theory of substantive due process liability.
2.
a.
The State may also "infringe a victim's due process rights when its officers assist in creating or increasing the danger that the victim faced at the hands of a third party." Matican,
*730Liability under this theory turns on whether the state conduct contributing to the victim's injury was "affirmative," which can give rise to liability, or "passive," which cannot give rise to liability.
Golian disputes the proper test for affirmative versus passive conduct under the state-created danger theory. She asserts that the cases do not require state agents to condone or encourage the third-party violence. Rather, she contends that state-created danger liability requires no more than a showing that the state agent's actions contributed to or increased the likelihood that the victim would be unsafe.
Cases from other circuit courts of appeals, such as the Third and Sixth Circuit Courts of Appeals, lend some support to Golian's argument. See Phillips v. Cnty. of Allegheny,
(1) the harm ultimately caused to the plaintiff was foreseeable and fairly direct; (2) the state-actor acted in willful disregard for the plaintiff's safety; (3) there was some relationship between the state and the plaintiff; and (4) the state-actor used his authority to create an opportunity for danger that otherwise would not have existed.
Phillips,
But Second Circuit law has always included such a requirement. As far back as 1998, the Court of Appeals stated that the state-created danger theory applies when "a state actor aids and abets a private party in subjecting a citizen to unwarranted physical harm." Hemphill,
*731
b.
Golian's complaint does not contain allegations sufficient to make out a claim of state-created danger. The only specific action that Golian alleges that may have revealed her identity to DeJesus is Harper's subpoena to Golian. That act was not affirmative conduct under Okin. The complaint contains no plausible allegation that Harper's subpoena of Golian or any other action encouraged or officially sanctioned DeJesus's attack. Rather, the subpoena served a legitimate function in the ACS's pursuit of child neglect charges against DeJesus.
Golian asserts that because the ACS disclosed her identity after she refused to comply with Harper's subpoena, it is plausible to infer that the disclosure was in response to or in retaliation for her refusal to testify. As a threshold matter, the complaint does not allege that Golian's identity was disclosed to DeJesus after she refused to testify at the hearing, nor does it contain any allegation from which one could infer such disclosure. In any event, there is no plausible allegation that Harper or any other municipal employee affirmatively encouraged DeJesus to attack Golian.
Golian also attempts to draw an analogy between her case and cases from outside this Circuit that hold that a state actor can be liable under the Due Process Clause for disclosing confidential information about a person, usually a confidential informant, regardless of whether the state actor encouraged or condoned third-party violence. See Phillips,
As explained above, cases outside this Circuit have limited relevance here given the nature of the state-created danger test established by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. Moreover, the cases Golian cites are distinguishable on their facts. In each case, the state actor disclosed confidential information in an unauthorized manner or without a justified reason. In Phillips and Kallstrom, the state actors provided to the third-party aggressor unnecessarily detailed confidential information about the victim or victims that would not have been publicly available otherwise. See Phillips,
Here, there is no plausible allegation that the municipal defendants disclosed Golian's identity without proper authority or for an improper reason. The only information disclosed was Golian's identity, not unnecessary personal details, such as her bank account information or home address. And the ACS clearly had a legitimate reason and legal basis to subpoena Golian.
Accordingly, Golian's complaint fails to allege a state-created danger claim.
3.
Golian's substantive due process claim fails for the additional reason that she has failed to allege any state action that was "so egregious, so outrageous, that it may fairly be said to shock the contemporary conscience." Matican,
There is no plausible allegation that the municipal defendants disclosed Golian's identity to DeJesus with the intent to cause Golian harm. Indeed, the complaint lacks any allegation specifying the state conduct that led to the disclosure of Golian's identity to DeJesus. It follows that the complaint fails to demonstrate how this unspecified conduct was intentional or reckless.
The specific conduct Golian does allege is best described as negligence. To the extent Harper's subpoena may have revealed Golian's identity, there is no indication that Harper issued the subpoena for the purpose for causing Golian harm or with reckless indifference to her safety. It is telling that Golian's overlapping state law claims against the municipal defendants are all claims of negligence. She does not allege any intentional misconduct or recklessness claims against any municipal defendant. See Compl. ¶¶ 67-70, 78-85, 90-94.
Thus, the municipal defendants' conduct as alleged in Golian's complaint does not shock the conscience. See, e.g., Daniels v. Williams,
C.
Finally, the Court turns to Golian's claims under New York state law. Compl. ¶¶ 67-94.
1.
The municipal defendants move to dismiss the state law claims against them for want of subject matter jurisdiction.
2.
Golian obtained a certificate of default against DeJesus from the Clerk of Court and applied for a default judgment. ECF Nos. 18, 19. The Court previously indicated that Golian would be entitled to a default judgment against DeJesus, but declined to enter such judgment until the claims against the municipal defendants were resolved. ECF No. 27. With the dismissal of the claims against the municipal defendants, the Court has reconsidered Golian's application and concluded it should not exercise supplemental jurisdiction to enter a default judgment against DeJesus. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(h)(3) ; Transatl. Marine Claims Agency, Inc. v. Ace Shipping Corp., Div. of Ace Young Inc.,
The only jurisdictional basis Golian invokes for her claims against DeJesus is supplemental jurisdiction pursuant to
Accordingly, no judgment shall issue against DeJesus, and Golian's claims against her are dismissed without prejudice. See Cave v. E. Meadow Union Free Sch. Dist.,
*734CONCLUSION
The Court has considered all of the arguments raised by the parties. To the extent not specifically addressed, the arguments are either moot or without merit. For the foregoing reasons, the municipal defendants' motion to dismiss Golian's federal claims is granted. The Clerk is directed to enter judgment dismissing with prejudice Golian's federal claims (Counts 1 and 2) and dismissing without prejudice all of Golian's state law claims (Counts 3 through 7). The Clerk is also directed to close all pending motions and to close this case.
SO ORDERED.
In New York State, the Office of Children and Family Services (the "OCFS") supervises the enforcement of child protection laws. The SCR is a division of the OCFS. The "SCR maintains a telephone hotline with a toll-free number, staffed around the clock, for reports of child abuse, neglect, or maltreatment.... If [a] report [of child abuse] passes ... initial screening, [the] SCR transmits the report as well as any background information to a field office in the county where the child is located," which, in New York City, is the ACS. Nicholson v. Scoppetta,
Golian also claims that she knew another teacher at P.S. 84 who reported a student's grandmother to the SCR, had her identity disclosed to the grandmother, and was later attacked by the grandmother on school grounds. Compl. ¶ 28.
While the Complaint describes the subpoena as being for a "scheduled ACS hearing," at oral argument on the current motion Golian's counsel explained that the subpoena sought Golian's testimony at a Family Court hearing.
Golian acknowledges that she could have sued a "John Doe" defendant and then sought discovery of the identity of the person who disclosed her name to DeJesus, but she elected instead to sue Harper by name.
The municipal defendants argue in the alternative that Harper is entitled to qualified immunity. A defendant is entitled to qualified immunity in a § 1983 case "if either (1) their conduct did not violate clearly established rights of which a reasonable person would have known, or (2) it was objectively reasonable to believe that their acts did not violate these clearly established rights." Cornejo,
Golian asserts that New York's statutory scheme requiring teachers to report suspicions of child maltreatment creates a cognizable liberty interest. The concept of statutorily created liberty interests arises in the procedural due process context, not the substantive due process context, and thus is inapplicable in this case. See Local 342, Long Island Pub. Serv. Emps. v. Town Bd. of Town of Huntington,
The reporting requirement is imposed upon numerous individuals, both private citizens and public officials, including physicians, dentists, optometrists, psychiatrists, Christian Science practitioners, mental health professionals, peace officers, police officers, district attorneys, and assistant district attorneys-to name a few.
The District Court cases cited by Golian do not require a different result. In Citizens Accord, Inc. v. Town of Rochester, No. 98-cv-715,
Golian's claim for municipal liability is dismissed because the Court dismisses Golian's underlying constitutional claim. See Segal v. City of New York,
The plaintiff bears the burden of proving the Court's jurisdiction by a preponderance of the evidence. Makarova v. United States,
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Jessica GOLIAN v. NEW YORK CITY ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN SERVICES, City of New York, Jeremy Harper, individually and in his official capacity, and Jennifer DeJesus
- Cited By
- 14 cases
- Status
- Published