Logan v. Matveevskii

175 F. Supp. 3d 209, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 42546, 2016 WL 1267798
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedMarch 30, 2016
DocketCase No. 10-CV-9247 (KMK)
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 175 F. Supp. 3d 209 (Logan v. Matveevskii) 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
Logan v. Matveevskii, 175 F. Supp. 3d 209, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 42546, 2016 WL 1267798 (S.D.N.Y. 2016).

Opinion

OPINION & ORDER

KENNETH M. KARAS, District Judge:

Pro se plaintiff Thomas Logan (“Plaintiff’) brings the instant lawsuit alleging various causes of action against defendants Irina Matveevskii (“Matveevskii”), Tuckahoe Housing Authority (“THA”), Tuckahoe Housing Authority Board of Commissioners, Mark Kamensky (“Kamensky”), and Jeff Zuckerman (“Zuckerman”) (collectively, “Defendants”).2 Defen[213]*213dants have moved to dismiss the Third Amended Complaint. For the reasons that follow, Defendants’ Motion is granted.

I. Background

A. Factual Background

The following facts are taken from Plaintiffs Third Amended Complaint and, for purposes of this Motion, are accepted as true. Plaintiff currently resides at 31 Midland Place, Apartment 3D, in Tucka-hoe, New York. (Third Am. Compl. (“TAC”) ¶1 (Dkt. No. 104).) The THA, which was incorporated in 1938 as a not-for-profit public corporation, and is charged with providing affordable housing for low-income families, owns and operates a four-building complex called Sanford Gardens, as well as a single-building complex called Jefferson Gardens. (Id, at unnumbered 1 ¶ 2.) In addition, THA administers 175 Section 8 housing choice vouchers, and receives funding under the “capital fund” program, (Id,, at unnumbered 1 ¶2.)3 According to Plaintiff, he contracted with the THA to reside in his current apartment on October 1, 1981, although the Parties had earlier signed a contract stating the terms of the rental agreement lease under the Section 8 housing program in March 1981. (Id., at unnumbered 1 ¶¶ 3-4; see also id., at unnumbered 8 ¶¶ 1-2.)4

1. Plaintiffs Quest for Reasonable Accommodations

According to Plaintiff, on March 27, 1996, Plaintiff made a written request for a larger apartment to the THA’s then-acting Executive Director. (See id., at unnumbered 2 ¶5.) The THA responded that Plaintiffs family composition did not warrant a two-bedroom unit liké the one that he currently lived in, but that he would be relocated to the first one-bedroom unit to accommodate his family status. (Id.) Roughly a year and a half later, on October 30, 1997, Plaintiff received a letter from the Social Security Administration indicating that he was disabled. (Id., at unnumbered 2 ¶ 6.)

Additionally, on approximately June 19, 2008, according to Plaintiff, the THA was reported to Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”) for noncompliance for failing to adequately admin[214]*214ister its low-rent program. (See id,, at unnumbered 2 ¶ 7; id., at unnumbered 8 ¶ 4.) “Within ... this complaint[,] it was found that THA was cited with noncompliance with the Regulations at 24 [C.F.R.] Part 8[,] implementing the provisions of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that require! ] that Public Housing maintain a minimum number of units as handicap[] accessible.” (Id., at unnumbered 2 ¶ 7; see also id., at unnumbered 8-9 ¶ 4) In addition, the THA was “noted to be in non-compliance with the admission policy under HUD regulations 24 CFR 960.206[ ](b)(2)[ ] that requires that applicants for low-rent housing units be given working family preference if the head of household and spouse or sole member is age 62 or older or is a person with disabilities.” (Id., at unnumbered 2 ¶ 7; id., at unnumbered 8-9 ¶ 4.) Despite such regulations, according to Plaintiff, the THA did not extend this preference to disabled persons, giving preference instead to working, non-disabled applicants. (Id., at unnumbered 2 ¶ 7; see also id., at unnumbered 9 ¶ 4.)

On or about August 7, 2008, Plaintiff emailed Matveevskii, “describing [his] needs and concerns” as a disabled tenant with a heart condition and a third-floor apartment, to ask for a “reasonable accommodation” for a first-floor apartment at either 31 Midland Place or 25 Midland Place. (Id., at unnumbered 2 ¶8.) Plaintiffs request allegedly went “unanswered and ignored.” (Id.)

On or about March 3, 2010, Plaintiff received a letter from the THA indicating that his rent would be increased from $473 to $527. (Id., at unnumbered 3 ¶ 9.) Around the same time, Plaintiff “requested reasonable accommodations under the Fair Housing Act” to be moved to a lower floor apartment at either 31 Midland Place or 25 Midland Place. (Id., at unnumbered 3 ¶10.) Additionally, Plaintiff requested a formal hearing to “discuss the delay in providing his reasonable accommodation request,” (id.), a request apparently acknowledged on July 30, 2014, (see id., at unnumbered 7 ¶ 32).5 The request for a reasonable accommodation was again ignored. (See id., at unnumbered 3 ¶ 10.) Approximately two weeks later, Plaintiff sent a letter to the THA “Board of Commissioners” and Matveevskii reiterating his earlier requests and asking why he had been overlooked when an apartment in one of the units he requested became available. (Id., at unnumbered 3 ¶ 11.)

On approximately May 12, 2010, Plaintiff learned that the certified letters he sent to the “Board of [Directors” had “never [been] forwarded to them,” despite having signed receipts indicating they were delivered. (Id., at unnumbered 3 ¶ 12.) Accordingly, as apparently described in a police report, he “slapped ... down” the letters on the table, and Matveevskii, concerned for her safety, called the Tuckahoe Police Department, which was dispatched to 4 Union Place as a result. (See id. (internal quotation marks omitted).)

Throughout the coming months, Plaintiffs submissions relating to his desire to be relocated to a new apartment continued: On October 25, 2010, Plaintiffs orthopedic doctor, Dr. Rozbruch, sent a letter to the THA requesting a “reasonable accommodation,” which was allegedly ignored. (Id., at unnumbered 3 ¶ 13 (internal quotation marks omitted).) On approximately December 2, 2010, Plaintiff filed a complaint against Matveevskii and the THA. (Id., at unnumbered 4 ¶14.) On April 2, 2011, Plaintiff “requested a FOIA to the [215]*215Tuckahoe Police Department for a copy of the Police Report where[,] during a [t]en-ants[’] meeting!,] Ms. Matveevskii called 911 to report that Plaintiff was attending the THA tenants meetings with a ’gang’ of people coming at her.” (Id., at unnumbered 4 ¶ 15.)

On approximately July 14, 2011, the THA proposed two offers of what it felt would be “an appropriate accommodation to show a ’good faith’ offer for a ’reasonable accommodation,”’ but which were inappropriate as “the unit locations [would] place [Plaintiffs] disabled mother and [Plaintiff] in further physical harm,” and, as a result, Plaintiff declined the offers based on concern for their physical safety. (Id., at unnumbered 5 ¶ 18.) That request was followed up by a “fraudulent offer” for a unit in 31 Midland Place that was not available for immediate occupancy. (Id., at unnumbered 5 ¶ 19.)

2. The THA’s Alleged Acts of Aggression Towards Plaintiff

On approximately May 10, 2011, Defendants allegedly reported Plaintiff to the “Department of Housing,” indicating that “Plaintiff was housing a pedophile.” (Id.,

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Bluebook (online)
175 F. Supp. 3d 209, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 42546, 2016 WL 1267798, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/logan-v-matveevskii-nysd-2016.