Weaver v. New Mexico Human Services Department

1997 NMSC 039, 945 P.2d 70, 123 N.M. 705
CourtNew Mexico Supreme Court
DecidedAugust 6, 1997
Docket23761
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 1997 NMSC 039 (Weaver v. New Mexico Human Services Department) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Mexico Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Weaver v. New Mexico Human Services Department, 1997 NMSC 039, 945 P.2d 70, 123 N.M. 705 (N.M. 1997).

Opinion

OPINION

BACA, Justice.

1. Defendant-Appellant, the New Mexico Human Services Department (HSD), appeals a district court Order granting summary judgment in favor of Plaintiffs-Appellees on a claim brought under the Americans with Disabilities Act (the ADA). The Order invalidated an HSD regulation which imposed a twelve-month maximum period of eligibility for disabled adults receiving benefits under the General Assistance Program. The district court held that the regulation violated Title II of the ADA. HSD appealed that Order to this Court, raising the following issues: (1) whether New Mexico case law has already addressed the question of HSD’s authority to place durational time restrictions on disabled individuals’ eligibility for General Assistance benefits; (2) whether there is a factual dispute as to Plaintiffs’ eligibility for the protections afforded by Title II of the ADA; (3) whether there is a factual dispute as to HSD’s qualification as a public entity governed by Title II of the ADA; and (4) whether, as a matter of law, the contested HSD regulation violates Title II of the ADA.

2. We note that state courts are not precluded from hearing matters involving alleged violations, of the ADA. See 42 U.S.C. § 12202 (1990) (recognizing that states are not immune from claims under the ADA brought in state or federal court); see also Cole v. Staff Temps, 554 N.W.2d 699, 702 (Iowa 1996) (recognizing state court authority to hear ADA claims); Lillback v. Metropolitan Life Ins. Co., 94 Ohio App.3d 100, 640 N.E.2d 250, 258 (1994) (recognizing that nothing in ADA divests state courts of jurisdiction to hear ADA claims); New Jersey Citizen Action v. Riviera Motel Corp., 296 N.J.Super. 402, 686 A.2d 1265 (1997) (recognizing existence of concurrent jurisdiction in state and federal courts when claims are brought under the ADA). This Court has jurisdiction to review the district court Order pursuant to the New Mexico Constitution, Article VI, Section 3 (jurisdiction in quo warranto).

3. We begin our analysis of the issues raised on appeal by disposing of HSD’s argument that existing New Mexico case law is dispositive of this appeal. Then we determine that the ADA applies to the contested HSD regulation, based on our conclusions that Plaintiffs are qualified individuals 'with disabilities under Title II of the ADA, and HSD is a public entity governed by the ADA. Next we assess whether the regulation restricts Plaintiffs’ participation in the General Assistance Program on the basis of their disabilities in violation of the ADA. We conclude that the regulation discriminates against Plaintiffs on the basis of their disabilities in violation of Title II of the ADA, and affirm the Order invalidating the HSD regulation which imposed a twelve-month maximum period of eligibility for disabled adults receiving benefits under the General Assistance Program.

I.

4. HSD is the state agency responsible for the administration of all welfare activities in New Mexico. See NMSA 1978, § 27-1-3 (1987). One welfare activity administered by HSD is the General Assistance Program. See NMSA 1978, § 27-2-7 (1973). This program provides financial assistance:

1) to permanently disabled adults with no minor dependents who are not eligible for [Social Security Income (SSI)] because their disability is not severe enough;
2) [to] temporarily disabled adults with no minor dependents;
3) on behalf of children under 18 years of age who would be eligible for [Aid to Families with Dependant Children (AFDC) ] except that they are not living with a person within the specified degree of relationship—

8 NMAC 3.010.21 (1996).

5. In response to budgetary shortfalls for fiscal year 1996, and pursuant to the regulatory authority provided in Section 27-l-3(D), HSD promulgated Financial Assistance Program Rule 419, 8 NMAC 3.419 (1995) (hereinafter “FAP-419”). FAP-419 restricts the period of time during which disabled adults may receive General Assistance benefits. The regulation provides that “[a] grant made to an individual eligible for GA due to disability is limited to no more than 12 months----” 8 NMAC 3.419.22. HSD did not impose a twelve-month time limit on General Assistance benefits for dependent children. See 8 NMAC 3.419.21.

6. Plaintiffs-Appellees are disabled recipients of General Assistance benefits. Plaintiffs have already received General Assistance benefits for at least 12 months and would no longer be eligible for General Assistance benefits if FAP-419 were implemented.

7. Plaintiffs challenged the validity of FAP-419 in district court, contending that it violated Title II of the ADA. Title II of the ADA provides in pertinent part that:

[N]o qualified individual with a disability shall, by reason of such disability, be ex-eluded from participation in or be denied the benefits of the services, programs, or activities of a public entity, or be subjected to discrimination by any such entity.

42 U.S.C. § 12132 (1992). Plaintiffs asserted that HSD is a public entity which implemented FAP-419 to restrict disabled adults, by reason of their disability, from receiving the benefits of the General Assistance Program, in violation of section 12132. HSD disagreed, contending that the time limitations of FAP-419 were motivated by budgetary considerations rather than disability, and noting authority to modify the General Assistance Program under Section 27-2-7(A)(3).

8.Plaintiffs filed a Motion for Summary Judgment, alleging that they had shown that there were no factual questions remaining as to each element of their ADA claim. Plaintiffs established that they were qualified individuals with disabilities, that they would be denied the benefits of a public entity’s services through implementation of FAP-419, and that the denial would be by reason of their disabilities. See Tyler v. City of Manhattan, 857 F.Supp. 800, 817 (D.Kan.1994). The district court agreed that the HSD regulation violated Title II of the ADA as a matter of law, and granted the Motion for Summary Judgment. HSD then filed for a stay of judgment pending appeal. A stay was granted and this appeal followed.

II.

9. At the outset we dispose of HSD’s argument that existing New Mexico case law is dispositive of the instant appeal. HSD first cites Health & Social Servs. Dep’t v. Garcia, 88 N.M. 640, 644, 545 P.2d 1018, 1022 (1976), for the proposition that HSD has the authority to place the contested time limitations on the availability of General Assistance benefits for disabled adults.

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1997 NMSC 039, 945 P.2d 70, 123 N.M. 705, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/weaver-v-new-mexico-human-services-department-nm-1997.