Morales v. New York

22 F. Supp. 3d 256, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 71137, 2014 WL 2158979
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedMay 22, 2014
DocketNo. 13-cv-2586 (NSR)
StatusPublished
Cited by43 cases

This text of 22 F. Supp. 3d 256 (Morales v. New York) 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
Morales v. New York, 22 F. Supp. 3d 256, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 71137, 2014 WL 2158979 (S.D.N.Y. 2014).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

NELSON S. ROMÁN, District Judge.

Plaintiff Edward Morales (“Plaintiff’ or “Morales”), pro se, commenced the instant action against Defendants State of New York; State University of New York (“SUNY”); State University of New York, Binghamton College (“SUNY Bingham-ton”); State University of New York, Purchase College (“SUNY Purchase”); Thomas Schwarz, President of SUNY Purchase; Melissa Jones, SUNY Purchase Director of Community Standards; Ernie Palmieri, SUNY Purchase Vice President of Community Standards; “Purchase College University Police”; William Howard, Senior Vice Chancellor, General Counsel, and Secretary of the University; Wendy Kowalc-zyk (now Ravitz); SUNY Associate Counsel; Danielle DaGosto, SUNY Purchase Executive Director of Academic Programs; Qui-Qui Balascio, SUNY Purchase Associate Dean of Student Affairs; Richard Nas-sisi, SUNY Purchase Associate Dean of the School of Liberal Arts; Ricardo Espi-nales, SUNY Purchase Assistant Director of Human Resources and Affirmative Action Officer; Marc Burdzinski, SUNY Purchase Associate Professor; Lois Wald, SUNY Purchase Associate Counselor; Sandra Starki, Vice Provost for Enrollment Management at SUNY Binghamton; Kyle Saud, SUNY Purchase Housing Coordinator; Daniel Pearson; Bill (William) Baskin, SUNY Purchase Associate Provost of Student Affairs; Louise Yelin, SUNY Purchase Associate Dean; Walter Butler, Acting Chief of University Police at SUNY Purchase; and Sheryl Secor (collectively, “State Defendants”); the Law School Admission Council; the Town of Harrison; and unidentified “John Doe” defendants.

Plaintiff asserts violations of Titles III and V of the Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 12181 and 12203; the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, 42 U.S.C. § 6101 et seq.; Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (“Title VII”), 42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq.; Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (“Title IX”), 20 U.S.C. § 1681 et seq.; and plaintiffs constitutional rights under the First and Fourteenth Amendments. Plaintiff brings other miscellaneous claims as well.

State Defendants now move, pursuant to Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 8 and 12(b)(6), to dismiss the amended complaint in its entirety. For the following reasons, State Defendants’ motion to dismiss is GRANTED.

I. THE FACTS

Plaintiff alleges that he is “a qualified ‘partially-pérmanent disabled’ ” person, [263]*263under the Social Security Disability Administration or SSDA, as defined by 42 U.S.C. § 12131(2), and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. §§ 701-796. (Am. Compl. at 11.) Plaintiff alleges “a disabling and unpredictable spinal injury” (Am. Compl. at 94) and “neck injuries [that] prevent him from using his hands and arms normally.” (Am. Compl. at 30.) Plaintiff states that he returned to college in 2011 to complete his higher education degree; he alleges that he had 15 credits at the time of his return. Plaintiffs goal was to pursue law school within two years. (Am. Compl. at 93.)

Plaintiff alleges in his second cause of action that he was wrongfully tricked into taking a psychological evaluation. (Am. Compl. at 22-23.) Plaintiff alleges that upon his attempt to return to Purchase College in 2011, he spoke with an employee in the admissions office who told him that she “could not enroll him (Plaintiff) back into the school because there was a flag (a problem or impediment) that needed to be cleared by the health clinic of the school, before I (Plaintiff) could be readmitted into the school.” (Am. Compl. at 22.) Plaintiff claims that he went to the College’s health clinic and was told by the head nurse that, “although the flag was originated at [the Student Health] department (the health clinic)”, Plaintiff would need to have the counseling center remove the flag. (Am. Compl. at 22.) Plaintiff claims that the flag was related to old records, perhaps 14 years old, but the nurse could not see the reason for the flag “because the record (Plaintiffs medical record) had been destroyed due to the provision by Federal law that all records must be destroyed after seven years, and she would not remove the flag.” (Am. Compl. at 22-23.) Plaintiff claims that the counseling center would not remove the 14-year-old flag unless Plaintiff underwent a psychological evaluation and that he would not agree to an evaluation but only to a conversation with a psychologist, State Defendant Lois Wald, but that the interview was actually an “unconsented evaluation.” (Am. Compl. at 23.) Plaintiff believed that discrimination was taking place and decided not to cooperate fully. He claims that a report was generated, but the College refused to give him a copy. (Am. Compl. at 23.) In any event, Plaintiff was allowed to register as a student.

Plaintiff alleges in his third cause of action that he and other students who “did not fit the student profile” were asked for driver’s licenses when he felt his student identification should have been sufficient. (Am. Compl. at 25-26.)

Plaintiff alleges in his fourth cause of action that a professor, State Defendant Mark Burdzinski, would not let Plaintiff or other unnamed “elder” students speak in class if they were not registered students, were late or had missed previous classes. (Am. Compl. at 27-33.) He alleges that Professor Burdzinski, who he claims has a “recognized ... personality disorder,” wrongfully accused Plaintiff of plagiarism when Plaintiff copy and pasted a required translation of a Spanish-language poem from another source without citation. Plaintiff claims that the professor should have recognized that copying and pasting is an “implied accommodation” under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Plaintiff claims that he was denied due process during his administrative hearing and appeals in regard to the disciplinary charges brought against him for plagiarism. (Am. Compl. at 29-33.)

Plaintiff claims that in the investigation of his plagiarism charges, SUNY Purchase wrongfully accessed his SUNY email account. (Am. Compl. at 33.) Plaintiffs appeals were denied by State Defendant William Baskin, the SUNY Purchase As[264]*264sociate Provost for Student Affairs. Plaintiff claims that a meeting in regard to his appeal was attended by State Defendant Ricardo Espinales, SUNY Purchase Assistant Director of Human Resources and Affirmative Action Officer, who Plaintiff believes may have “hacked” into his email account.

Plaintiff alleges in his sixth cause of action that he was wrongfully denied usage of a phone in a campus office and that, as a result, he wrongfully faced disciplinary charges. He claims that the charges were “retaliatory” for his complaints about not being permitted to use a phone. (Am. Compl.

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22 F. Supp. 3d 256, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 71137, 2014 WL 2158979, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/morales-v-new-york-nysd-2014.