Norkunas v. SEAHORSE NB, LLC

720 F. Supp. 2d 1313, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 59503, 2010 WL 2431874
CourtDistrict Court, M.D. Florida
DecidedJune 16, 2010
Docket6:09-cv-00934
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 720 F. Supp. 2d 1313 (Norkunas v. SEAHORSE NB, LLC) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Norkunas v. SEAHORSE NB, LLC, 720 F. Supp. 2d 1313, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 59503, 2010 WL 2431874 (M.D. Fla. 2010).

Opinion

*1314 ORDER

TIMOTHY J. CORRIGAN, District Judge.

This case is brought under the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”). Plaintiff, Bill Norkunas, who is disabled, 1 claims that Defendant, Seahorse NB, LLC, which operates the Seahorse Hotel located in Neptune Beach, Florida (the “Seahorse”), is not complying with the ADA. According to the Complaint, Plaintiff “encountered architectural barriers at the subject property that discriminate against him on the basis of his disability and have endangered his safety.” (Doc. 1, p. 2, ¶ 5). Plaintiff further alleges that he desires to visit the Seahorse not only to avail himself of the goods and services available at the property, but to assure himself that this property is in compliance with the ADA so that he and others similarly situated will have full and equal enjoyment of the property without fear of discrimination. (Doc. 1, p. 3, ¶8). Plaintiff seeks injunctive relief (the only available remedy under the ADA) and attorney’s fees and costs. 2 (Doc. 1, p. 7, ¶ 16). The issue on Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss is whether Mr. Norkunas has standing to bring this claim. On March 17, 2010, the Court held an evidentiary hearing on this issue.

I. STANDARD

Attacks on subject matter jurisdiction based on Rule 12(b)(1) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure come in two forms — facial attacks and factual attacks. This is a factual attack. A factual attack “challenges the existence of subject matter jurisdiction in fact, irrespective of the pleadings, and matters outside the pleadings, such as testimony and affidavits, are considered.” Menchaca v. Chrysler Credit Corp., 613 F.2d 507, 511 (5th Cir.1980). When a defendant makes a factual attack, he is challenging the accuracy of the allegations, not their sufficiency. See, e.g., Valentin v. Hospital Bella Vista, 254 F.3d 358, 364 (1st Cir.2001). In such circumstances, the plaintiff must demonstrate that standing exists by a preponderance of the evidence; thus, a trial court can evaluate a jurisdictional claim even when material issues of fact exist. See Morrison v. Amway Corp., 323 F.3d 920, 924-25 (11th Cir.2003); Scarfo v. Ginsberg, 175 F.3d 957, 960-61 (11th Cir.1999) (quoting Lawrence v. Dunbar, 919 F.2d 1525, 1529 (11th Cir.1990)); Paterson v. Weinberger, 644 F.2d 521, 523 (5th Cir.1981). Additionally, the Court is free to make credibility determinations when reaching a decision, so long as the factual attack does not implicate an element of the cause of action. Lawrence, 919 F.2d at 1529 (“[Tjhere is substantial authority that the trial court is free to weigh the evidence and satisfy itself as to the existence of its power to hear the case.”).

II. DISCUSSION

Defendant argues: (A) Plaintiff lacks standing because his visit to the Seahorse *1315 was as a “tester” whose sole purpose was to initiate litigation and he cannot prove any legitimate, concrete plans to return (Doc. 6, pp. 8-17); and (B) Plaintiff lacks standing to challenge any alleged barriers of which he was unaware at the time of filing the complaint and, with regard to the barriers actually encountered, he only has standing to challenge those that exist with regard to his own disability (Doc. 16, pp. 2-6). The Court will address each of these arguments.

A. Plaintiffs Standing to Bring this Case

Article III, § 2 of the United States Constitution limits federal jurisdiction to actual cases or controversies. A federal court therefore has an obligation to assure itself at the outset of the litigation that a litigant who seeks an injunction has Article III standing. See Friends of the Earth, Inc. v. Laidlaw Environmental Services, Inc., 528 U.S. 167, 179-80, 120 S.Ct. 693, 145 L.Ed.2d 610 (2000). The standing doctrine ensures that the “scarce resources of the federal courts are devoted to those disputes in which the parties have a concrete stake.” 528 U.S. at 191, 120 S.Ct. 693.

To satisfy Article Ill’s standing requirements, a plaintiff must demonstrate: (1) an injury in fact; (2) a causal connection between the injury and conduct complained of; and (3) that it is likely that the injury will be redressed by a favorable court ruling. Lujan v. Defenders of Wildlife, 504 U.S. 555, 112 S.Ct. 2130, 119 L.Ed.2d 351 (1992). Additionally, when a plaintiff seeks injunctive relief, he must demonstrate a “real and immediate threat of future injury by the defendant.” City of Los Angeles v. Lyons, 461 U.S. 95, 101-02, 103 S.Ct. 1660, 75 L.Ed.2d 675 (1983).

Defendant argues the fact that Plaintiff visited the Seahorse in his capacity as an ADA “tester,” in and of itself, requires dismissal because Plaintiff fails to meet the redressability requirement for Article III standing. 3 (Doc. 6, p. 8). Although the Eleventh Circuit has not addressed the issue of tester standing under the ADA, 4 it has recognized the standing *1316 of a tester to pursue a lawsuit under the Fair Housing Act of 1968, 42 U.S.C. § 3601, et seq., as well as under 42 U.S.C. § 1982. See Watts v. Boyd Properties, 758 F.2d 1482, 1485 (11th Cir.1985) (noting that “even if a tester is motivated solely by the desire to challenge the legality of allegedly discriminatory practices, this is a sufficient purpose to confer standing” under 42 U.S.C. § 1982); see also Havens Realty Corp. v. Coleman, 455 U.S. 363, 373-74, 102 S.Ct. 1114, 71 L.Ed.2d 214 (1982) (holding that both testers and non-profit organizations have standing to bring claims under 42 U.S.C. § 3604(d)).

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720 F. Supp. 2d 1313, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 59503, 2010 WL 2431874, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/norkunas-v-seahorse-nb-llc-flmd-2010.