Schapiro v. New York City Department of Health

25 F. App'x 57
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Second Circuit
DecidedDecember 28, 2001
DocketDocket No. 01-7146
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 25 F. App'x 57 (Schapiro v. New York City Department of Health) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Schapiro v. New York City Department of Health, 25 F. App'x 57 (2d Cir. 2001).

Opinion

SUMMARY ORDER

ON CONSIDERATION WHEREOF, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that the order of said District Court be and it hereby is AFFIRMED.

Plaintiff-appellant David B. Schapiro appeals from the January 10, 2001 order granting summary judgment on both of plaintiffs claims in favor of defendants New York City Department of Health (“DOH”) and the City of New York (“City”). For the reasons that follow, we affirm.

Schapiro worked as a staff analyst for the DOH from 1989 to 1994 and worked in various other positions for the City for a number of years before that. In 1989, construction began on the building in which he was located, and Schapiro developed respiratory problems, which he and some of his doctors attributed to dust and fumes from the construction work and poor ventilation. Schapiro’s respiratory problems intensified, forcing him to miss work frequently. After a leave of absence of almost a year, Schapiro returned to work in October of 1990 at a new location.1 Schapiro did not suffer from the same ailments at this location, or at least not to the same extent, and he worked without incident. In 1991, Schapiro’s DOH unit transferred to a new building, and his respiratory problems again intensified. Scha[59]*59piro made numerous complaints about the conditions and eventually filed an official grievance. Attempts to relocate Schapiro within the building were not successful. Eventually, in 1992, Schapiro’s supervisor became unwilling to cooperate with Schapiro’s repeated requests for transfers and suggested that Schapiro quit or apply for disability benefits. In November 1993, Schapiro “applied for early retirement due to ‘chronic job related illness’ ” and retired in June of 1994.

On May 27, 1994, Schapiro filed an employment discrimination complaint with the EEOC, and thus automatically with the NYSDHR. On August 8, 1995, after he received his right to sue letter from the EEOC, Schapiro filed the instant lawsuit alleging employment discrimination in violation of Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”), and negligence under New York common law. In addition, on January 23, 1998, Schapiro applied for SSDI benefits. His application was denied on April 21, 1998, as was his request for reconsideration. On January 10, 2001, the district court granted defendants’ motion for summary judgment. Schapiro appeals this decision on a number of grounds. We review a district court’s decision to grant summary judgment de novo.

Schapiro argues first that the district court erred in dismissing as time barred claims arising from actions (1) prior to July 26, 1992, and (2) prior to July 31, 1993. With respect to the former decision, we find no error. The district court granted summary judgment on plaintiffs claims alleging “discriminatory actions taken pri- or to July 26, 1992” on the grounds that such actions are time barred by the effective date of the ADA. The ADA, 42 U.S.C. §§ 12101-12213 (1995), was enacted on July 26, 1990. Title I of that Act, governing employment, became effective on July 26, 1992. See Pub.L. No. 101-336, § 108, 104 Stat. 327, 337 (1990) (“This title shall become effective 24 months after the date of enactment.”); Smith v. United Parcel Serv. of Am., Inc., 65 F.3d 266, 266 (2d Cir.1995); 9 Lex K. Larson, Employment Discrimination §§ 151.01 .03 (2d ed.2001). The ADA does not apply retroactively to acts occurring before the effective date. See Smith, 65 F.3d at 266. Plaintiff argues that the ADA became effective “as to a government entity” on January 26, 1992 because Title II of the ADA, governing public services, became effective eighteen months after enactment, on January 26, 1992. See Pub.L. 101-336, § 231(a), 104 Stat. 327, 346 (1990) (“[T]his part shall become effective 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act.”); Larson, supra, at § 151.01 n. 7. This, however, is irrelevant. Plaintiff specifically sued under Title I of the ADA and did not allege violations under Title II or even mention Title II at any point prior to the appeal. Regardless of whether individuals may also sue for employment discrimination under Title II, as plaintiff argues, plaintiff did not, in fact, sue under Title II. Thus, the effective date of Title I applies, and plaintiff’s claims arising from actions prior to July 26,1992 are time barred.

The district court also granted summary judgment oh plaintiff’s claims arising from actions occurring prior to July 31, 1993 on the ground that ADA complaints must be filed with the EEOC within three hundred days of the alleged discriminatory occurrence in order to be actionable. See 42 U.S.C. § 12117(a), 2000e-5(e)(1); Harris v. City of New York, 186 F.3d 243, 247-48 (2d Cir.1999). Because it is undisputed that plaintiff filed his EEOC and NYSDHR complaint on May 7, 1994, the district court granted summary judgment on all claims prior to July 31, 1993, which is three hundred days before that filing. [60]*60Plaintiff argues that this was erroneous because he is entitled to an exception that tolls the running of the three hundred days for continuing violations.

“[A] continuing violation may be found where there is proof of specific ongoing discriminatory policies or practices, or where specific and related instances of discrimination are permitted by the employer to continue unremedied for so long as to amount to a discriminatory policy or practice.” Cornwell v. Robinson, 23 F.3d 694, 704 (2d Cir.1994). In cases alleging a continuing violation, “the commencement of the statute of limitations period may be delayed until the last discriminatory act in furtherance of it,” as long as a continuing violation is alleged in the EEOC complaint and the lawsuit. Id. at 703 (internal citations and quotations omitted); see also Miller v. Int’l Tel. & Tel. Corp., 755 F.2d 20, 25 (2d Cir.1985). Thus, “[w]here a continuing violation can be shown, the plaintiff is entitled to bring suit challenging all conduct that was a part of that violation, even conduct that occurred outside the limitations period.” Cornwell, 23 F.3d at 704.

Schapiro clearly alleged a continuing violation of the ADA, both in his EEOC charge and in his federal complaint. He filed a complaint with the EEOC and NYSDHR on May 27, 1994 and alleged a series of specific, discriminatory acts that operated to create a policy of discrimination. Accepting the facts as true for the purposes of summary judgment, defendants began discriminating against Schapiro by failing to accommodate his disability in 1989 and continued to discriminate against him by repeatedly not accommodating him until the time at which he had no alternative but to retire in 1994. Because plaintiff specifically alleged a continuing violation and offered sufficient evidence to support that claim, the district court’s decision granting summary judgment on claims prior to July 31, 1993 is erroneous. Plaintiff is entitled to sue for all discriminatory actions occurring from July 26, 1992 forward. Because we find that Schapiro does not establish a prima facie case of discrimination, however, this erroneous ruling was harmless.

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

Related

Levy v. N.Y.S. Dep't of Envtl. Conservation
297 F. Supp. 3d 297 (N.D. New York, 2018)
Dechberry v. New York City Fire Department
124 F. Supp. 3d 131 (E.D. New York, 2015)
Young v. PRECISION METAL PRODUCTS, INC.
599 F. Supp. 2d 216 (D. Connecticut, 2009)
Wisneski v. Nassau Health Care Corp.
296 F. Supp. 2d 367 (E.D. New York, 2003)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
25 F. App'x 57, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/schapiro-v-new-york-city-department-of-health-ca2-2001.