Antolini v. Thurman

CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedJuly 21, 2021
Docket1:19-cv-09674
StatusUnknown

This text of Antolini v. Thurman (Antolini v. Thurman) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Antolini v. Thurman, (S.D.N.Y. 2021).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK ---------------------------------------------------------------------- X : DINO ANTOLINI, : : Plaintiff, : : 19-CV-9674 (JMF) (KNF) -v- : : OPINION AND ORDER BRAD THURMAN and 33 BRE INC., : : Defendants. : : ---------------------------------------------------------------------- X JESSE M. FURMAN, United States District Judge: Plaintiff Dino Antolini, who requires a wheelchair for mobility, brings claims against Defendants Brad Thurman and 33 BRE Inc. for alleged violations of the Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), 42 U.S.C. § 12181 et seq.; the New York State Human Rights Law (“NYSHRL”), N.Y. Exec. Law § 290 et seq.; and the New York City Human Rights Law (“NYCHRL”), N.Y.C Admin. Code § 8-101 et seq.1 In particular, he alleges that a commercial property located at 82-88 Fulton Street in Manhattan (“82-88 Fulton”) — allegedly owned, leased, or operated by Defendants — is inaccessible to him and others in wheelchairs. See ECF No. 1 (“Compl.”), ¶¶ 5-6, 13, 15; ECF No. 114-2 (“Antolini Decl.”), ¶ 4. Defendants now move, pursuant to Rule 56 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, for summary judgment. For the reasons that follow, their motion is GRANTED.

1 A third Defendant, Harold Thurman, passed away on November 3, 2020. See ECF No. 112. On March 30, 2021, pursuant to Rule 25(a)(1) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the Court dismissed all claims against him and all counterclaims brought by him. ECF No. 117. APPLICABLE LEGAL STANDARDS The Court begins with a summary of the applicable legal standards — under the ADA and with respect to motions for summary judgment. A. Title III of the ADA Antolini’s claims under Title III of the ADA require him to establish that (1) he is

disabled within the meaning of the ADA; (2) Defendants own, lease, or operate a place of public accommodation; and (3) Defendants discriminated against him within the meaning of the ADA. Roberts v. Royal Atl. Corp., 542 F.3d 363, 368 (2d Cir. 2008). The relevant standard for the third prong of this analysis depends in the first instance on whether the facility at issue has been “altered in a manner that affects or could affect its usability.” Id. at 369 (internal quotation marks omitted). That, in turn, requires “a fact-specific inquiry centered on a broad application of the concept of usability.” Rosa v. 600 Broadway Partners, LLC, 175 F. Supp. 3d 191, 206 (S.D.N.Y. 2016) (internal quotation marks omitted). In particular, the Second Circuit has instructed courts to consider a number of factors, including: (1) the overall cost of the

modification relative to the size (physical and financial) of the facility or relevant part thereof; (2) the scope of the modification (including what portion of the facility or relevant part thereof was modified); (3) the reason for the modification (including whether the goal is maintenance or improvement, and whether it is to change the purpose or function of the facility); and (4) whether the modification affects only the facility’s surfaces or also structural attachments and fixtures that are part of the realty. See Roberts, 542 F.3d at 370. The plaintiff bears an “initial burden of production,” which is fulfilled “by identifying a modification to a facility and by making a facially plausible demonstration that the modification is an alteration under the ADA.” Id. at 371. If a plaintiff meets that burden, “[t]he defendant then bears the burden of persuasion to establish that the modification is in fact not an alteration.” Id. In the absence of an “alteration,” a defendant still discriminates within the meaning of Title III “if it fails to remove any existing barriers to accessibility where such removal ‘is readily achievable,’” id. at 369 (quoting 42 U.S.C. § 12182(b)(2)(A)(iv)), i.e., is “easily accomplishable

and able to be carried out without much difficulty or expense,” 42 U.S.C. § 12181(9). To succeed, a plaintiff must fulfill an initial burden of “articulat[ing] a plausible proposal for barrier removal, the costs of which, facially, do not clearly exceed its benefits.” Roberts, 542 F.3d at 373 (internal quotation marks omitted). “Neither the [cost-benefit] estimates nor the proposal” submitted by a plaintiff, however, “are required to be exact or detailed.” Id. Assuming the plaintiff makes this showing, the burden then shifts to the defendant to “establish[] that the costs of a plaintiff’s proposal would in fact exceed the benefits.” Id. If alterations have been made to the property (after January 26, 1992), the ADA requires more of defendants. In such cases, a defendant discriminates if the altered areas “are not made

readily accessible ‘to the maximum extent feasible.’” Id. at 369 (quoting 42 U.S.C. § 12183(a)(2)); see also 28 C.F.R. § 36.402(a)(1) (“Any alteration to a place of public accommodation or a commercial facility, after January 26, 1992, shall be made so as to ensure that, to the maximum extent feasible, the altered portions of the facility are readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities . . . .”). More specifically, the plaintiff bears an “initial burden of production [to] identify[] some manner in which the alteration could be, or could have been, made ‘readily accessible [to] and usable by individuals with disabilities, including individuals who use wheelchairs.’” Roberts, 542 F.3d at 372 (quoting 42 U.S.C. § 12183(a)(2)). The burden then shifts to the defendant to “persuad[e] the factfinder that the plaintiff’s proposal would be ‘virtually impossible’ in light of the ‘nature of the facility.’ Id. (quoting 28 C.F.R. § 36.402). B. Summary Judgment Summary judgment is appropriate when the record demonstrates that there are no genuine disputes as to any material facts and that one party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. See

Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a); Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322 (1986). A genuine dispute of material fact exists “if the evidence is such that a reasonable jury could return a verdict for the nonmoving party.” Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248 (1986).

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Antolini v. Thurman, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/antolini-v-thurman-nysd-2021.