Caron Foundation of Florida, Inc. v. City of Delray Beach

879 F. Supp. 2d 1353, 2012 WL 2249263, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 92256
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Florida
DecidedMay 4, 2012
DocketCase No. 12-80215-CIV
StatusPublished
Cited by19 cases

This text of 879 F. Supp. 2d 1353 (Caron Foundation of Florida, Inc. v. City of Delray Beach) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Caron Foundation of Florida, Inc. v. City of Delray Beach, 879 F. Supp. 2d 1353, 2012 WL 2249263, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 92256 (S.D. Fla. 2012).

Opinion

ORDER GRANTING IN PART PLAINTIFF’S MOTION FOR PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION

WILLIAM P. DIMITROULEAS, District Judge.

THIS CAUSE is before the Court upon Plaintiffs Motion for Preliminary Injunction [DE 11], filed March 27, 2012. The Court has carefully considered the motion, [1360]*1360Defendant’s Response in Opposition [DE 17], and Plaintiffs’ Reply [DE 23], and is otherwise fully advised in the premises.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

To obtain a preliminary injunction, a plaintiff must prove (1) a substantial likelihood of success on the merits, (2) irreparable injury absent an injunction, (3) that the irreparable injury outweighs whatever damage the injunction may cause the opposing party, and (4) that an injunction is not adverse to the public interest. Church v. City of Huntsville, 30 F.3d 1332, 1342 (11th Cir.1994). Because a “preliminary injunction is an extraordinary and drastic remedy, it is not to be granted until the movant clearly carries the burden of persuasion as to the four prerequisites.” Id. (quotation omitted). Moreover, when the moving party is seeking to have the opposing party perform an affirmative act, the burden is even higher: “A mandatory injunction ... especially at the preliminary stage of proceedings, should not be granted except in rare instances in which the facts and law are clearly in favor of the moving party.” Miami Beach Fed. Sav. & Loan Ass’n v. Callander, 256 F.2d 410, 415 (5th Cir.1958).1

In ruling on a preliminary injunction, the Court makes preliminary findings of fact. At this stage, the evidentiary rules are relaxed. See Levi Strauss & Co. v. Sunrise Int’l Trading, Inc., 51 F.3d 982, 985 (11th Cir.1995). A court may rely on affidavits and hearsay materials that would not admissible evidence for a permanent injunction, so long as the evidence is appropriate given the character and purpose of the injunction proceedings. See id. It may utilize written materials that are in the record. See McDonald’s Corp. v. Robertson, 147 F.3d 1301, 1310-13 (11th Cir.1998). The findings of fact and conclusions of law made when resolving a preliminary injunction are not binding at the trial on the merits. Univ. of Tex. v. Camenisch, 451 U.S. 390, 395, 101 S.Ct. 1830, 68 L.Ed.2d 175 (1981).

BACKGROUND

Plaintiff (“Caron”) sued Defendant (the “City”) for violating the Fair Housing Act (“FHA”), 42 U.S.C. § 3601 et seq., and the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), 42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq. Caron claims that the City has interfered with Caron’s rehabilitation center for individuals recovering from alcoholism and substance abuse. Caron argues that the City denied Caron a reasonable accommodation for a home it purchased in a single-family neighborhood. It also claims that the City is discriminating against Caron through its zoning ordinances. Caron seeks declaratory and injunctive relief as well as monetary damages, costs, and reasonable attorneys’ fees. This Court has jurisdiction of these claims under several statutes, including 28 U.S.C. § 1331 and 28 U.S.C. § 1343.

Caron has had alcohol and substance abuse rehabilitation facilities in Palm Beach County for more than 20 years. It previously operated housing in the City at an apartment complex. More recently, it acquired two large homes in single-family neighborhoods near the ocean on Ocean Drive, an affluent area. Caron has developed the two Ocean Drive houses to cater to professionals or others with highly suc[1361]*1361cessful careers. These two homes would only be used to provide room and board for recovering addicts; clinical therapy would occur offsite at separate facilities. Nevertheless, Caron claims that a single-family setting provides important therapeutic benefits. The residents will function as a family household and provide mutual support. Caron has said four or five residents per house is the clinically required minimum to stave off isolation. [DE 10-5 at 5; DE 11 at 2],

In early 2011, Caron purchased its first Ocean Drive residence (the “First Ocean Drive House”). The home was. a five bedroom, 6,120 square foot house. Caron wanted seven patients to stay at that location. The City had an ordinance limiting the number of unrelated individuals who could live together. On January 14, 2011, Caron applied for a reasonable accommodation to allow seven (7) unrelated individuals to reside together. The City requested more information on February 3, 2011, which Caron provided. The City granted the accommodation on February 14, 2011.

In January 2012, Caron purchased another home on Ocean Drive (the “Second Ocean Drive House”). This home was larger than the first, with 7,481 square feet. The previous month, Caron had applied for a reasonable accommodation so that the Second Ocean Drive House could also accommodate seven unrelated individuals. The application was essentially identical to the application submitted with the first request.

This time, substantial community opposition developed. For example, a community website opposing Caron’s plan stated,

Drug, Alcohol and Sex Addict Rehab Should not be a Vacation! Just say NO' to Transient Housing. These Sober Houses should not be in Residential neighborhoods!
The large Caron Corporation is trying to Bully the City of Delray Beach into providing high class rehabilitation centers for dangerous transient Drug, Alcohol and- Sex Addicts in the Beach area.... We urge all Delray Beach residents to be aware of the security risks and take action to stop this large corporate intrusion that threatens our safety, well-being and neighborhood character.

[DE 10-17], Citizens made many other similar comments. [DE 10-15,10-18].

Members of the zoning board and the Mayor also commented negatively about sober living facilities. One planning and zoning board member said that Caron’s plans threatened the survival of the City. He indicated that Caron posed a risk to the most affluent areas of the city and that such a risk was unacceptable. [DE 10-20 at 7-8].2 The chairman of the planning commission called the sober home movement

a cancer in this town and it is -metastasizing quicker in ways that not all of us can get our arms around, but we are clearly being taken advantage of.. V If it quacks like a duck it is a duck.... It plain stinks, we are being taken advantage of ... There has to be a way ... I don’t care if the lawyer has to come from Olympus, there is somebody out there that is smarter than this scourge that is metastasizing in this town. It’s not just destabilizing, it denigrates the neighborhood____In the meantime, we keep them out and maybe they go plague some other place.

[DE 10-20 at 10-16].

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879 F. Supp. 2d 1353, 2012 WL 2249263, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 92256, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/caron-foundation-of-florida-inc-v-city-of-delray-beach-flsd-2012.