Juvenile Matters Trial Lawyers Ass'n v. Judicial Department

363 F. Supp. 2d 239, 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5067, 2005 WL 730248
CourtDistrict Court, D. Connecticut
DecidedMarch 28, 2005
DocketCIV.A.3:04 CV 773(CF)
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 363 F. Supp. 2d 239 (Juvenile Matters Trial Lawyers Ass'n v. Judicial Department) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Connecticut primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Juvenile Matters Trial Lawyers Ass'n v. Judicial Department, 363 F. Supp. 2d 239, 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5067, 2005 WL 730248 (D. Conn. 2005).

Opinion

RULING ON MOTION TO DISMISS

DRONEY, District Judge.

The plaintiff, the Juvenile Matters Trial Lawyers Association (“the Association”), is an association of attorneys who provide legal services to juveniles and their families in the Connecticut state courts. The Association brought this action against the Judicial Department of the State of Connecticut (“the Department”) and several individual defendants 1 under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, seeking injunctive and declaratory relief. The complaint alleges violations of the Due Process and Equal Protection clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Pending before the Court is the defendants’ motion to dismiss the complaint. For the following reasons, the motion to dismiss [Doc. # 13] is GRANTED.

I Background

The Connecticut General Statutes provide that “[a]t the commencement of any proceeding concerning the alleged delinquency of a child, the parent or parents or guardian and the child shall have the right to counsel and be so informed by the judge, and that if they are unable to afford counsel that counsel will be provided for them.” Conn. Gen.Stat. § 46b—135; see also Connecticut Practice Book § 32a-l (setting forth the right to counsel in juvenile court setting). 2 Apart from delinquency proceedings, the Connecticut General Statutes also generally provide that:

*242 In any proceeding on a juvenile matter the judge before whom such proceeding is pending shall, even in the absence of a request to do so, provide an attorney to represent the child or youth, his parent or parents, guardian or other person having control of the child or youth, if such judge determines that the interests of justice so require, and in any proceeding in which the custody of a child is at issue, such judge shall provide an attorney to represent the child and may authorize such attorney or appoint another attorney to represent such child or youth, parent, guardian or other person on an appeal from a decision in such proceeding.

Conn. Gen.Stat. § 46b—136; see also Conn. Gen.Stat. § 45a-717 (addressing appointment of counsel in regard to a petition to terminate parental rights). 3

To effect the appointment powers set forth in these statutes and Practice Book provisions, the Department maintains a panel of attorneys who are willing to accept appointment in matters before the Superior Court and the Connecticut appellate courts. See In the Interest of Katherine M., 1998 WL 867268 (Conn.Super.Ct., Dec. 2, 1998) (explaining the panel system and its compensation system).

The complaint here alleges that, in 1999, the Department revised the compensation system for panel attorneys. Under the revised system, attorneys seeking appointment sign an annual contract with the Department, which places them on the panel and makes them eligible to represent indigent children and their families. The standard terms of the contracts provide that the attorney will be paid a flat fee of $350 per case for the first thirty hours of representation, and $40 per hour for representation beyond the initial thirty hours. The Association claims that these rates are substantially lower than those paid to Special Public Defenders appointed in Connecticut state courts to represent adults accused of crimes. The Association also claims that “the rates and conditions of compensation are such that the persons represented by appointed counsel are routinely deprived of effective representation, notwithstanding the good faith efforts of court appointed counsel to provide zealous representation.” 4

II Procedural History

On May 10, 2004, the Association brought this action against the defendants, seeking: (1) a declaration that the rate of pay for panel attorneys is insufficient and inimical to the interests of their clients; (2) a declaration that the Department’s administration of contracts with attorneys violates the separation of powers doctrine; (3) an injunction requiring the Department to pay a rate “adequate” to assure effective representation; (4) an injunction requiring the defendants to cease conducting audits of attorneys; and (5) an injunction requiring the defendants to adequately fund costs related to representation.

*243 The defendants have filed a motion to dismiss pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(1) and 12(b)(6), claiming that: (1) the Eleventh Amendment of the United States Constitution bars the Association’s claims against the Department; (2) the Association lacks standing; and (3) the Association has failed to state a claim upon -which relief may be granted. Because issues of standing implicate the subject matter jurisdiction of this Court, that argument will be addressed first, and the standards of Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(1) will be applied. See Whitmore v. Arkansas, 495 U.S. 149, 155-56, 110 S.Ct. 1717, 109 L.Ed.2d 135 (1990) (“A federal court is powerless to create its own jurisdiction by embellishing otherwise deficient allegations of standing”).

Ill Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Standing

A) Standard of Review

“When considering a motion to dismiss pursuant to Rule 12(b)(1), the court must take all facts alleged in the complaint as true and draw all reasonable inferences in favor of [the] plaintiff.” Raila v. United States, 355 F.3d 118, 119 (2d Cir.2004). “The court may not dismiss a complaint unless it appears beyond doubt, even when the complaint is liberally construed, that the plaintiff can prove no set of facts which would entitle him to relief.” Jaghory v. New York State Dept. of Educ., 131 F.3d 326, 329 (2d Cir.1997) (quotation marks omitted). However, “[i]t is the affirmative burden of the party invoking [federal subject matter] jurisdiction... to proffer the necessary factual predicate-not just an allegation in a complaint-to support jurisdiction.” London v. Polishook, 189 F.3d 196, 199 (2d Cir.1999) (citations omitted); see also Robinson v. Overseas Military Sales Corp., 21 F.3d 502, 507 (2d Cir.1994) (“In determining whether a plaintiff has met this burden, we will not draw argumentative inferences in the plaintiffs favor”).

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
363 F. Supp. 2d 239, 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5067, 2005 WL 730248, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/juvenile-matters-trial-lawyers-assn-v-judicial-department-ctd-2005.