Fischer v. Weaver

55 F.R.D. 454, 16 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 247, 1972 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12964
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Illinois
DecidedJune 29, 1972
DocketNo. 72 C 772
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 55 F.R.D. 454 (Fischer v. Weaver) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fischer v. Weaver, 55 F.R.D. 454, 16 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 247, 1972 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12964 (N.D. Ill. 1972).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

DECKER, District Judge.

This is a motion by plaintiffs in the above-entitled cause asking that an order be entered to the effect that the case be maintained as a class action. Having considered the facts as stated by the pleadings and motions and the law, as hereinafter discussed, I have reached the conclusion that the motion should be granted.

The relevant facts are as follows. On March 27, 1972, Robert A. Fischer and his wife Paula, on their own behalf and “on behalf of all those similarly situated” filed a complaint asking for a declaratory judgment and any other appropriate relief against Edward T. Weaver and others, being the present and former directors of the Illinois and Cook County Departments of Public Aid. The complaint alleges that as recipients of public assistance benefits partially financed by the federal government, plaintiffs have suffered or are threatened [457]*457with total or substantial loss of their benefits as a result of state procedures, administered by defendants, that violate the U. S. Constitution and the federal Social Security Act and its implementing regulations.1 Specifically, plaintiff Fischer alleges that on December 14, 1971, he was advised by telephone that his AFDC benefits would be cancelled on January 1, 1972, pursuant to a memorandum issued by the Cook County Department of Public Aid’s administrative field supervisor. Thereafter, written notice of the same, dated December 15, 1971, was received by Mr. Fischer, and he advised his caseworker of his desire to appeal the decision and requested that his assistance be continued pending a decision on appeal. However, the Fischers’ benefits were terminated as of January 1, 1972. Approximately two months later, on February 24, 1972, a hearing was held on the appeal, but no decision had been announced by the time this lawsuit was filed on March 27, 1972.

On March 31, 1972, a temporary restraining order was entered forbidding defendants from terminating, reducing or denying AFDC benefits to plaintiff Fischer by enforcing or executing any state procedure that did not comport with the requirements of the appropriate HEW regulation, to-wit, 45 C.F.R. § 210.10(a). The foregoing regulation, promulgated under the Social Security Act, provides, in substance, that the state must notify welfare recipients of any action it intends to take with respect to the reduction, termination or suspension of benefits at least 15 days prior to such action. In addition, the recipient may, within that period, demand a fair hearing “before the state agency” 45 C.F.R. 205.10(a) (3), and is entitled to a decision “by the state agency” as to whether benefits will be continued pending appeal, 45 C.F.R. § 205.-10(a) (5) (iii). Subsequent to the entry of the temporary restraining order the Fischers were restored to the benefits they claimed.

Plaintiffs then filed the present motion asking that the action be maintained as a class action. Several motions to intervene followed.

Jurisdiction was alleged by plaintiffs to be based upon 28 U.S.C. §§ 1331, 1337, 1343 and 2201. Although none of the foregoing sections in itself would automatically confer jurisdiction upon this court over all of the matters raised in the complaint, jurisdiction in cases like the present case has been upheld. Almenares v. Wyman, 453 F.2d 1075 (2d Cir. 1971); Serritella v. Engelman, 339 F.Supp. 738 (D.N.J.1972). Hence district court jurisdiction based upon the substantial constitutional claim that welfare benefits had been terminated in violation of the principles announced in Goldberg v. Kelly, 397 U.S. 254, 90 S.Ct. 1011, 25 L.Ed.2d 287 (1970), will properly allow consideration of statutory claims having a “common nucleus of law and fact” with the constitutional claim, United Mine Workers v. Gibbs, 383 U.S. 715, 725, 86 S.Ct. 1130, 16 L.Ed.2d 218 (1966), under “pendent” jurisdiction, Rosado v. Wyman, 397 U.S. 397, 90 S.Ct. 1207, 25 L.Ed.2d 442 (1970). Hence, those members of the alleged class who have no constitutional claim may still challenge the state procedures in question under the supremacy clause without regard for the jurisdictional amount requirements. Almenares v. Wyman, swpra, at 1083.

However, a far more difficult question is confronted with respect to plaintiffs’ requests for relief in the form of damages. It is clear that collateral facts would be 'involved in making such a determination, and considering those facts, which would only relate to particular claimants, without regard to jurisdictional amount, would involve an abuse of the discretion afforded the district judge in determining whether a [458]*458claim will be heard as a “pendent” claim. As Judge Friendly stated in Almenares v. Wyman, supra, a case very close on its facts and issues to the present case:

“Our holding here [that declaratory and injunctive relief was appropriate for the class] is thus severely limited. With respect to a class action under F.R.Civ.P. 23(b) (3), where damages or some other relief requiring examination of collateral facts is required, it could well be an abuse of a trial court’s discretion to utilize the principle of pendent jurisdiction to include class claims not otherwise assertable in a federal court, even though they arise from the same nucleus of operative facts as the primary claim. This would certainly be true where each class member’s claim is small, and the factual issues surrounding it are complex.” 453 F.2d at 1085-1086.

Therefore, any appropriate class in this case would only be appropriate for purposes of granting declaratory and/or injunctive relief and not for purposes of determining compensatory or punitive damages which involves consideration of collateral facts regarding individual claimants.2

The next question is whether or not the class proposed by plaintiffs meets the requirements of F.R.Civ.P. 23. The pleadings define the plaintiff class as consisting of “all recipients of AFDC and AABD benefits in the State of Illinois . . .

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Related

Bruce v. Christian
113 F.R.D. 554 (S.D. New York, 1986)
Wilson v. Weaver
358 F. Supp. 1147 (N.D. Illinois, 1973)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
55 F.R.D. 454, 16 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 247, 1972 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12964, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fischer-v-weaver-ilnd-1972.