(PS) Roberts v. Sacramento Housing & Redevelopment Agency

District Court, E.D. California·Decided January 14, 2025·No. 2:22-cv-01699·Unknown

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 11 SYDNEY BROOKE ROBERTS and No. 2:22-cv-1699 DJC AC DAVID TYRONE SAMUEL, 12 Plaintiffs, 13 FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS v. 14 SACRAMENTO HOUSING AND 15 REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY, et al., 16 Defendants. 17 18 Plaintiffs are proceeding in this matter pro se, and pre-trial proceedings are accordingly 19 referred to the undersigned pursuant to Local Rule 302(c)(21). The case proceeds on the basis of 20 the Third Amended Complaint (ECF No. 11) as narrowed by the findings and recommendations 21 and order granting partial dismissal (ECF Nos. 36, 47). Before the court is plaintiffs’ motion for 22 partial summary judgment. ECF No. 67. For the reasons set forth below, the undersigned 23 recommends the motion be DENIED. 24 I. Factual and Procedural Background 25 Plaintiffs filed this action in pro se and in forma pauperis on September 27, 2022. ECF 26 No. 1. Pursuant to the screening process associated with IFP status, plaintiffs’ complaint was 27 amended twice before the operative Third Amended Complaint (“TAC”) was ordered to be 28 served. ECF Nos. 11, 12. The TAC brought causes of action under Title II of the Americans 1 with Disabilities Act, the Fair Housing Act, Sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, and 2 the Fourteenth Amendment. ECF No. 11 at 4. 3 Plaintiffs, two adult members of the same household, allege that defendants have violated 4 the laws with respect to their housing and their requested accommodations related to various 5 disabilities. See generally, ECF No. 11. Plaintiff David Tyrone Samuel is a disabled person 6 currently receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (“SSDI”) for diagnoses of Attention 7 Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Chronic Post Traumatic Stress 8 Disorder, and Major Depressive Disorder. Id. at 9. Samuel and Sydney Brooke Roberts are 9 parents of two children: AIMS, age 4, and DAYS, an infant. Id. AIMS has been diagnosed with 10 Autism Spectrum Disorder and is currently non-verbal. Id. 11 The family participates in the Department of Housing and Urban Development Housing 12 Choice Voucher program (“HCV”). Id. at 7. They received their voucher on September 14, 13 2018, as part of a Sacramento County program that included wrap-around services from 14 Sacramento Self Help Housing, a vendor who provided Property Related Tenant Services 15 (“PRTS”). Id. at 13. A caseworker from PRTS was responsible for coordinating housing related 16 issues with the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency (“SHRA”). Plaintiffs asked an 17 unknown supervisor about the process of requesting an extra bedroom to be added to their 18 housing voucher as a reasonable accommodation; the supervisor said this was not possible. Id. at 19 17. On May 18, 2022, PRTS caseworker Ashely Valentine encouraged plaintiffs to formally 20 request a reasonable housing accommodation. Id. Plaintiffs submitted all documents on May 19, 21 2022. Id. Plaintiffs received a denial signed by MaryLiz Paulson, director of the HVC program 22 operations for SHRA, on behalf of the Reasonable Accommodation Compliance Committee 23 (“RACC”), on July 15, 2022. Id. at 19. 24 Plaintiffs attempted to reach RACC multiple times regarding their request but were not 25 getting responses. Id. at 18-19. On June 20, 2022, plaintiffs called SHRA through their main 26 number. Id. at 18. Plaintiffs then received a letter from employee Tyler Thao requesting 27 additional documentation. Id. Plaintiffs continued to attempt to contact SHRA without success. 28 Id. On August 4, 2022, plaintiffs submitted a written request for a hearing to SHRA via fax. Id. 1 at 19. Plaintiffs did not receive an immediate response despite multiple contact attempts. Id. On 2 August 28, 2022, plaintiffs received an email from SHRA with login credentials for a zoom 3 hearing to be held on September 12, 2022. Id. at 20. On September 6, 2022, plaintiffs received a 4 letter from SHRA with hearing procedures and requirements. Id. Plaintiffs had their hearing 5 before officer John Lew. Id. The hearing was attended by Tanya Cruz, who appeared on behalf 6 of RACC member Tory Lynch. Id. at 21. At the hearing, plaintiffs argued that the SHRA 7 regulations allow for housing modification “for durable medical equipment, and [that] the room 8 itself was durable medical equipment.” Id. at 22. On September 15, 2022, Cruz informed 9 plaintiffs, without explanation, that Lew would not be able to submit a decision for the hearing 10 and SHRA would set another hearing for a future date. Id. On September 16, 2022, plaintiffs 11 sent a certified letter disagreeing with the lack of decision, including a copy of their hearing 12 arguments. Id. at 23. On September 26, 2022, plaintiffs sent another letter via certified mail 13 requesting all previous accommodations for effective communication voucher adjustments as a 14 reasonable accommodation. Id. As of the filing of the TAC on November 11, 2022, SHRA had 15 not responded. Id. 16 Defendants moved to dismiss the TAC, and that motion was granted in part. ECF No. 36. 17 The following claims remain in this case: (1) disability discrimination in housing under the 18 Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act, and the Fair Housing Act (Claims One 19 and Five); (2) ineffective communication under the Americans with Disabilities Act (Claim 20 Two); (3) Fourteenth Amendment due process violation claim (Claim Three); and (4) 21 accessibility of services claims (Claim Four). ECF No. 47 at 2. Plaintiffs now move for 22 summary judgment in their favor as to Claim One and seek “declaratory relief stating the acts 23 alleged are disability discrimination consistent with the definitions provided in the Fair Housing 24 (‘FHA’), Americans with Disabilities Act (‘ADA’), Rehabilitation Act (‘REHAB’) and California 25 Fair Employment and Housing Act (‘FEHA’).” ECF No. 67 at 1. Defendants opposed the 26 motion. ECF No. 74. Plaintiffs did not reply to defendants’ opposition. 27 //// 28 //// 1 II. Legal Standard 2 Summary judgment is appropriate when the moving party “shows that there is no genuine 3 dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Fed. R. 4 Civ. P. 56(a). In summary judgment practice, “[t]he moving party initially bears the burden of 5 proving the absence of a genuine issue of material fact.” In re Oracle Corp. Sec. Litig., 627 F.3d 6 376, 387 (9th Cir. 2010) (citing Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 323 (1986)). The moving 7 party may accomplish this by “citing to particular parts of materials in the record, including 8 depositions, documents, electronically stored information, affidavits or declarations, stipulations 9 (including those made for purposes of the motion only), admissions, interrogatory answers, or 10 other materials” or by showing that such materials “do not establish the absence or presence of a 11 genuine dispute, or that an adverse party cannot produce admissible evidence to support the fact.” 12 Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c)(1). 13 Summary judgment should be entered “after adequate time for discovery and upon 14 motion, against a party who fails to make a showing sufficient to establish the existence of an 15 element essential to that party’s case, and on which that party will bear the burden of proof at 16 trial.” Celotex, 477 U.S. at 322. “[A] complete failure of proof concerning an essential element 17 of the nonmoving party’s case necessarily renders all other facts immaterial.” Id. at 323.

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