“A case is properly dismissed for lack of subject matter jurisdiction under Rule 12(b)(1) when the district court lacks the statutory or constitutional power to adjudicate it.”
How later courts described this case
- “A case is properly dismissed for lack of subject matter jurisdiction under Rule 12(b)(1) when the district court lacks the statutory or constitutional power to adjudicate it.”
- “[P]ublic employers such as the City are excluded from the NLRA’s coverage . . .”
- “Not every impairment is a ‘disability’ within the meaning of the ADA; rather, there are two requirements: the impairment must limit a major life activity and the limitation must be substantial.”
- noting that the County is a “public employer” as defined in Article 14 of the New York Civil Service Law
Written by the judges who cited it.
The opinion
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
EASTERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK
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ALYSSA EISENBERG,
Plaintiff, MEMORANDUM AND
ORDER
-against- 18-cv-1742 (JMA)(SIL)
THE COUNTY OF NASSAU, EDWARD
MANGANO, CIVIL SERVICE EMPLOYEES
ASSOCIATION, INC., LOCAL 830, AFSCME,
JERRY LARICCHIUTA, and RONALD
GURRIERI
Defendants.
--------------------------------------------------------------------x
STEVEN I. LOCKE, United States Magistrate Judge:
By way of Complaint filed on March 21, 2018, Plaintiff Alyssa Eisenberg
(“Plaintiff” or “Eisenberg”) commenced this action against the County of Nassau (the
“County”), Edward Mangano (“Mangano” and together with the County, the “County
Defendants”), the Civil Service Employees Association, Inc., Local 830, AFSCME (the
“CSEA”), Jerry Laricchiuta (“Laricchiuta”) and Ronald Gurrieri (“Gurrieri”) (the
CSEA, Laricchiuta and Gurrieri collectively, the “CSEA Defendants” and together
with the County Defendants, the “Defendants”) for violations of various federal and
state laws arising out of Plaintiff’s employment as a crossing guard for the County.
See Complaint (“Compl.”), Docket Entry (“DE”) [1]. On November 9, 2018, Eisenberg
filed an Amended Complaint. See Amended Complaint (“Amend. Compl.”), DE [33].
Presently before the Court, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636(c), see DE [60], are
Defendants’ motions to dismiss Plaintiff’s Amended Complaint. See DEs [35], [44].
For the reasons set forth below, the Court grants Defendants’ motions to dismiss.1
I. BACKGROUND
Unless otherwise indicated, the facts set forth herein are taken from the
Amended Complaint and are accepted as true for purposes of the instant motions.
Eisenberg was employed by the County as a crossing guard from April 2001 to
September 2017.2 See Amend. Compl. ¶¶ 16, 40. In addition to serving as a crossing
guard, Plaintiff also performed at least ten hours per week of “clerical work” at the
police precinct. See id. at ¶¶ 18-19. In her capacity as a County employee, Eisenberg
was a member of the CSEA, and consequently, the terms of her employment were
subject to the collective bargaining agreement (“CBA”) negotiated by the CSEA
Defendants and the County Defendants. See id. at ¶ 17.
In June 2016, the County Defendants “drastically” changed the duties of
crossing guards by changing the classification of “clerical work” to “Out of Title
Work.”3 See id. at ¶ 20. Although she does not explain how, Plaintiff alleges that
this change in the duties of crossing guards, along with her medical problems arising
from breast cancer and complications related to treatment rendered her unable to
1 This motion is before the Court for decision on consent of the parties. See DE [60].
2 Eisenberg does not provide the date on which she resigned from her job. However, the
Plaintiff’s Affidavit, the Amended Complaint and exhibits submitted with Eisenberg’s oppositions to
the instant motions indicate that she was employed as a crossing guard until at least September 2017.
See, e.g., Plaintiff’s Affidavit, DE [40], ¶¶ 22, 24; Amend. Compl. ¶ 40 (noting that Plaintiff sent an
initial demand letter to Defendants regarding issues raised in the instant lawsuit on September 15,
2017); Memorandum of Law in Opposition to the County Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss (“Opp. to
County Memo”), DE [41], Exhibit (“Ex”) F (doctor’s letter clearing Eisenberg to return to work on
September 11, 2017); Opp. to County Memo, Ex. G (work e-mail dated February 22, 2017).
3 Plaintiff does not explain what “Out of Title Work” or the change in her duties entail.
continue her job as a crossing guard. See id. at ¶¶ 21-22. Had the County Defendants
provided Eisenberg with “reasonable accommodation[s],” she could have continued
working despite her medical condition. See id. at ¶¶ 33-36. However, the County
Defendants did not provide such accommodations, and accordingly, Plaintiff “was
forced to resign.” See id. at ¶¶ 26-27.4 Subsequently, Eisenberg contacted the CSEA
Defendants to represent her in connection with her disability discrimination claim
against the County Defendants. See id. at ¶ 37. The CSEA Defendants, however,
“failed to adequately represent” her. See id. at ¶ 38.
As a result of these events, Plaintiff commenced this action on March 21, 2018,
alleging: (i) violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C § 12112, et seq.
(the “ADA”) against the County Defendants; (ii) breach of the CBA against the County
Defendants; (iii) violation of the New York State Human Rights Law, N.Y. Exec. Law
§ 296, et seq. (“NYSHRL”) against the County Defendants; (iv) violation of Section 8
of the National Labor Relations Act, 29 U.S.C. § 158, et seq. (the “NLRA”) against the
CSEA Defendants; and (v) breach of contract against the CSEA Defendants. See
Compl. ¶¶ 34-68. Eisenberg then filed an Amended Complaint, with leave of the
court, on November 9, 2018. See DE [33].5 The County Defendants move to dismiss
the Amended Complaint on the grounds that it fails to state a claim upon which relief
can be granted. See Memorandum of Law in Support of County Defendants’ Motion
to Dismiss Pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6) (“County Memo”), DE [37], 4-12. The
4 As set forth above, neither the Amended Complaint, nor any of the submissions related to
the instant motions indicate the date of Plaintiff’s resignation.
5 The Honorable Joan M. Azrack granted Eisenberg leave to file an amended complaint “for
the limited purpose of specifying the disability from which she alleges she suffered.” See DE [32].
CSEA Defendants separately move to dismiss on the grounds that this Court lacks
subject matter jurisdiction over the claims asserted against them and, in the
alternative, that the claims are time-barred under the applicable statute of
limitations and otherwise fail to state a claim for relief. See Memorandum of Law in
Support of the CSEA Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss (“CSEA Memo”), DE [46], 4-6.
II. LEGAL STANDARDS
A. Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(1)
Under Rule 12(b)(1) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (“Fed. R. Civ. P.”),
a federal court must dismiss a claim when it lacks jurisdiction over the subject matter
of the action. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(1); see also Makarova v. United States, 201
F.3d 110, 113 (2d Cir. 2000) (“A case is properly dismissed for lack of subject matter
jurisdiction under Rule 12(b)(1) when the district court lacks the statutory or
constitutional power to adjudicate it.”) (citation omitted). The party asserting subject
matter jurisdiction has the burden to prove the court’s jurisdiction by a
preponderance of the evidence. See Vailette v. Lindsay, No. 11-cv-3610, 2014 WL
4101513, at *3 (E.D.N.Y. Aug. 18, 2014) (citation omitted).
In deciding a motion to dismiss for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, the court
must assume that all factual allegations in the complaint are true and draw all
reasonable inferences in favor of the non-moving party. C.K. v. Bd. of Educ. of the
Westhampton Beach Sch. Dist., 185 F. Supp. 3d 317, 324 (E.D.N.Y. 2016) (citation
omitted). Further, the court may refer to evidence outside the pleadings, such as
affidavits, to resolve the jurisdictional issue. Forbes v. State Univ. of New York at
Stony Brook, 259 F. Supp. 2d 227, 231-32 (E.D.N.Y. 2003) (citations omitted).
B. Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6)
To survive a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim pursuant to Fed. R.
Civ. P. 12(b)(6), a complaint must contain “sufficient factual matter, accepted as true,
to ‘state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.’” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662,
678, 129 S. Ct. 1937, 1940 (2009) (quoting Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544,
570, 127 S. Ct. 1955, 1975 (2007)). A claim is considered plausible on its face “when
the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable
inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.” Iqbal, 556 U.S. at
678, 129 S. Ct. at 1949 (citation omitted).
In deciding a motion to dismiss under Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6), as in deciding a
motion to dismiss under Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(1), the court must accept as true all
allegations in the complaint and draw all inferences in the non-moving party’s favor.
U.S. ex rel. Siegel v. Roche Diagnostics Corp., 988 F. Supp. 2d 341, 343 (E.D.N.Y.
2013) (quoting LaFaro v. N.Y. Cardiothoracic Grp., 570 F.3d 471, 475 (2d Cir. 2009)).
Nevertheless, “threadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action” that are
supported by “conclusory” statements and mere speculation are inadequate and
subject to dismissal. Chavis v. Chappius, 618 F.3d 162, 170 (2d Cir. 2010) (internal
quotation marks and citation omitted); see Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678, 129 S. Ct. at 1949
(“[T]he tenet that a court must accept as true all of the allegations contained in a
complaint is inapplicable to legal conclusions.”). The court may consider only the
factual allegations in the complaint, documents incorporated by reference into the
complaint, matters of which judicial notice may be taken and documents that are
integral to the complaint and upon which the complaint relies heavily. See Lockwood
v. Town of Hempstead, No. 16-cv-3756, 2017 WL 3769253, at *2 (E.D.N.Y. Aug. 28,
2017) (internal quotation marks and citation omitted).
III. DISCUSSION
A. Defendants’ Motions to Dismiss Plaintiff’s Federal Law Claims
The Amended Complaint alleges against the County Defendants a federal law
claim for violation of the ADA and two state law claims for breach of the CBA and
violations of the NYSHRL. See Amend. Compl. ¶¶ 42-68. Plaintiff also asserts claims
against the CSEA Defendants for violation of the duty of fair representation under
the NLRA and for breach of contract. See id. at ¶¶ 69-76. The Court first addresses
Plaintiff’s federal law claims for violations of the ADA and the duty of fair
representation under the NLRA.
i. The County Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss
The County Defendants move to dismiss the ADA claim pursuant to Fed. R.
Civ. P. 12(b)(6) on the grounds that Eisenberg has failed to sufficiently plead a claim
upon which relief can be granted. See County Memo, 6-7. The ADA prohibits an
employer from discriminating against a “qualified individual on the basis of
disability[,]” 42 U.S.C.A. § 12112(a), and refusing to provide otherwise qualified
disabled employees with reasonable accommodations. See id. at § 12112(b)(5).
Plaintiff alleges that the County Defendants violated the ADA by failing to provide
her with reasonable accommodations that would have allowed her to continue
working as a crossing guard despite her medical condition. See Amend. Compl. ¶¶
33-36. To plead a failure-to-accommodate claim under the ADA, a plaintiff must
allege that: “(1) plaintiff is a person with a disability under the meaning of the ADA;
(2) an employer covered by the statute had notice of her disability; (3) with reasonable
accommodation, plaintiff could perform the essential functions of the job at issue; and
(4) the employer has refused to make such accommodations.” Dooley v. JetBlue
Airways Corp., 636 F. App’x 16, 18 (2d Cir. 2015) (internal quotation marks, citation
and alterations omitted).
Plaintiff fails to sufficiently plead the first and fourth prongs of a failure-to-
accommodate claim. As to the first prong, Eisenberg alleges that from July 2012 to
July 2017, she underwent four surgeries due to breast cancer, see Amend. Compl. ¶¶
29-32, but fails to allege how these surgeries rendered her disabled within the
meaning of the ADA. Under the ADA, an individual is disabled where she: (1) suffers
from “a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major
life activities . . .”; (2) has a “record of such an impairment”; or (3) is “regarded as
having such an impairment[.]” See 42 U.S.C. § 12102(1)(a)-(c); Jacques v. DiMarzio,
Inc., 386 F.3d 192, 199 (2d Cir. 2004) (internal quotation marks and citations
omitted). “Major life activities” are those of “central importance to daily life,”
Capobianco v. City of New York, 422 F.3d 47, 56 (2d Cir. 2005) (internal quotation
marks and citation omitted), such as “caring for oneself, performing manual tasks,
seeing, hearing, eating, sleeping, walking, standing, lifting, bending, speaking,
breathing, learning, reading, concentrating, thinking, communicating, and working.”
42 U.S.C. § 12102(2)(A). Alleging the existence of a “medical condition alone, even a
serious one,” is insufficient to establish a disability within the meaning of the ADA
without alleging that the condition “substantially limit[s] a major life activity.”
Bradshaw v. City of N.Y. & Captain Pelletier, No. 18-cv-8944, 2019 WL 3711765, at
*5 (S.D.N.Y. July 12, 2019) (internal quotation marks and citation omitted); see also
Capobianco, 422 F.3d at 56 (“Not every impairment is a ‘disability’ within the
meaning of the ADA; rather, there are two requirements: the impairment must limit
a major life activity and the limitation must be substantial.”) (citation omitted).
Plaintiff fails to allege any facts showing that the breast cancer and surgeries
impaired her ability to perform a major life activity, and, in fact, her doctor advised
that she could return to work “with no restrictions” after her final surgery in July
2017. See Opp. to County Memo, Ex. F. Similarly, Eisenberg’s medical records are
not a “record of impairment” sufficient to establish disability. See DE [54]. “While
hospitalization is certainly a record of an impairment and every instance of
hospitalization is disabling in the sense that one cannot go to work, such incidences
must also show that the impairment requiring hospitalization imposed a substantial
limitation on one or more of a patient’s major life activities.” Hardy v. Pepsi Bottling
Co. of N.Y., Inc., No. 14-cv-4007, 2016 WL 1301181, at *5 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 31, 2016),
aff’d, 690 F. App’x 60 (2d Cir. 2017) (internal quotation marks, citation and
alterations omitted) (italics in original). Additionally, although the County
Defendants were aware of Plaintiff’s medical condition, see Amend. Compl. ¶¶ 28-32,
there is no evidence that the County Defendants regarded Eisenberg as being
disabled. Accordingly, Plaintiff fails to allege that she has a disability within the
meaning of the ADA and thus fails to plead a failure-to-accommodate claim. See
Ingram v. Nassau Health Care Corp., No. 17-cv-5556, 2019 WL 1332857, at *5
(E.D.N.Y. Mar. 25, 2019) (dismissing ADA claim because plaintiff failed to allege
what major life activity was substantially limited by cardiac disorder, returned to
work within one month of taking time off for cardiac disorder and did not allege that
he had a record of disability or that employer regarded him as disabled); cf. Colas v.
City of Univ. of N.Y., No. 17-cv-4825, 2019 WL 2028701, at *4 (E.D.N.Y. May 7, 2019)
(denying motion to dismiss where plaintiff alleged that “as a result of her leg muscle
spasms, neck pain, fatigue and shortness of breath, episodes of cramping and
contractions, ligament pain, back pain, along with joint pain, nausea and headaches
her function was greatly altered, namely in her baseline walking pattern, speed,
circulation and coordination of balance”) (internal quotation marks and citation
omitted).
Eisenberg further fails to plead a failure-to-accommodate claim because she
does not allege that she ever requested any accommodations for her medical
conditions. Plaintiff alleges that Lieutenant Holfester of the Nassau County Police
Department, First Precinct sent an e-mail to all First Precinct crossing guards
reminding them of the policies regarding requests for time off and sick days, including
that medical appointments are to be made during employees’ personal time, rather
than during work hours. See Amend. Compl. ¶ 34; Opp. to County Memo, Ex. G.
However, she does not allege that she sought accommodations to make her medical
appointments during work hours or that this e-mail was sent to Eisenberg in response
to a request for such an accommodation. Similarly, although Plaintiff alleges that
she was not “given the opportunity to work part-time instead of full-time,” see Amend.
Compl. ¶ 35, she does not allege that she ever requested such an opportunity.
Because “an employer cannot refuse to make an accommodation . . . that it was never
asked to make,” Eisenberg cannot satisfy the fourth prong of a failure to accommodate
claim. See Dooley, 636 F. App’x at 18-19 (internal quotation marks, citations and
alterations omitted); see also Reid v. Time Warner Cable, No. 14-cv-3241, 2016 WL
743394, at *7 (E.D.N.Y. Feb. 22, 2016) (dismissing ADA failure-to-accommodate
claim where plaintiff failed to allege that he requested accommodations for alleged
disability); Brown v. The Pension Boards, 488 F. Supp. 2d 395, 407 (S.D.N.Y. 2007)
(“It is settled that an employee cannot hold an employer liable for failing to provide
an accommodation that the employee has not requested in the first place.”) (internal
quotation marks and citation omitted).
Accordingly, because Plaintiff fails to allege that she was disabled within the
meaning of the ADA and that the County Defendants refused to provide her with
reasonable accommodations, Eisenberg’s claim against the County Defendants for
violation of the ADA is dismissed with prejudice.
ii. The CSEA Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss
Plaintiff also asserts claims against the CSEA Defendants for violation of the
duty of fair representation under the NLRA. See Amend. Compl. ¶¶ 69-71. Initially,
the CSEA Defendants argue that this Court lacks subject matter jurisdiction over the
NLRA claim because Eisenberg was not employed by an “employer” as defined in the
statute. See Memorandum of Law in Support of the CSEA Defendants’ Motion to
Dismiss (“CSEA Memo”), DE [46], 4. The CSEA Defendants further move to dismiss
the NLRA claim pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6) on the grounds that the claim is untimely.
See id. at 4-5.
The Court first addresses whether it has subject matter jurisdiction over
Eisenberg’s NLRA claim. The NLRA creates federal jurisdiction over claims brought
by private sector employees challenging unfair labor practices by their employers and
grants certified unions the exclusive right to represent employees with respect to
“rates of pay, wages, hours of employment, or other conditions of employment[.]” 29
U.S.C. § 159(a); see also Ryan v. New York City Dep’t of Educ., No. 11-cv-1628, 2011
WL 4899923, at *3 (E.D.N.Y. Oct. 13, 2011). An “employer” is defined under the
NLRA as “any person acting as an agent of an employer, directly or indirectly, but
[does] not include . . . any State or political subdivision thereof . . .” 29 U.S.C. § 152(2).
A “political subdivision” of a state includes “entities that are either (1) created directly
by the state, so as to constitute departments or administrative arms of the
government, or (2) administered by individuals who are responsible to public officials
or to the general electorate.” Rose v. Long Island R.R. Pension Plan, 828 F.2d 910,
916 (2d Cir. 1987) (quoting N. L. R. B. v. Natural Gas Util. Dist. of Hawkins Cnty.,
Tenn., 402 U.S. 600, 604-05, 91 S. Ct. 1746, 1749 (1971)); Sales v. Clark, No. 14-cv-
8091, 2017 WL 892609, at *5 (S.D.N.Y. Feb. 3, 2017), report and recommendation
adopted sub nom. Sales v. TWU Local 100 Vice President Brian Clark, No. 14-cv-8091,
2017 WL 924239 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 6, 2017), appeal dismissed (June 15, 2017) (citation
omitted). An employee may bring a claim against a union for breach of the duty of
fair representation only if she is employed by an “employer” as defined in the NLRA.
See Muhlrad v. Mitchell, No. 96-cv-3568, 1997 WL 182614, at *3 (S.D.N.Y. Apr. 14,
1997) (citing 29 U.S.C. § 152(3)). Accordingly, because the state and its political
subdivisions are excluded from the NLRA’s definition of “employer,” a public
employee cannot maintain a cause of action against a union for breach of the duty of
fair representation with respect to her public employer. See Cunningham v. Local
30, Int’l Union of Operating Engineers, 234 F. Supp. 2d 383, 397 (S.D.N.Y. 2002)
(citing Muhlrad, 1997 WL 182614, at *3); see also Bldg. Indus. Elec. Contractors Ass’n
v. City of N.Y., 678 F.3d 184, 186 (2d Cir. 2012) (“[P]ublic employers such as the City
are excluded from the NLRA’s coverage . . .”) (citation omitted); Ford v. D.C. 37 Union
Local 1549, 579 F.3d 187, 188 (2d Cir. 2009) (“As the language of the [NLRA] makes
plain, public employees are not covered by that statute . . . The point is sufficiently
clear so that it has been routinely addressed by summary orders.”) (citations omitted).
Here, Eisenberg’s employer, the County, is a political subdivision of New York
State and thus not an “employer” within the meaning of the NLRA. See Leary v. Civil
Serv. Emps. Ass’n, No. 11-cv-716, 2012 WL 1622611, at *11 (S.D.N.Y. May 9,
2012), aff’d sub nom. Leary v. Civil Serv. Empls. Ass’n Region 3, 516 F. App’x 42 (2d
Cir. 2013) (noting that the County is a “public employer” as defined in Article 14 of
the New York Civil Service Law) (citation omitted); Bond v. City of Middletown, 389
F. Supp. 2d 319, 341 (D. Conn. 2005) (noting that a municipality is “administered by
individuals who are responsible to public officials or to the general electorate” and
therefore are not “employers” under the NLRA). Plaintiff’s argument that the Court
has subject matter jurisdiction over the CSEA Defendants because her NLRA claim
is not against the County is without merit. See Memorandum of Law in Opposition
to the CSEA Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss (“Opp. to CSEA Memo”), DE [49], 9-10.
Because there is no federal jurisdiction over the County, there is no jurisdiction over
Eisenberg’s “companion claim” against the CSEA Defendants. See Smith v. United
Fed’n of Teachers, No. 97-7678, 1998 WL 639756, at *1 (2d Cir. March 26, 1998)
(Summary Order) (citations omitted); Gear v. Dep’t of Educ., No. 07-cv-11102, 2010
WL 5297850, at *3-*4 (S.D.N.Y. Dec. 21, 2010), aff’d, 472 F. App’x 67 (2d Cir. 2012).
Accordingly, the Court dismisses with prejudice the NLRA claim for lack of subject
matter jurisdiction. See Gear v. Dep’t of Educ., 472 F. App’x 67, 68 (2d Cir. 2012)
(Summary Order) (affirming dismissal of Department of Education employee’s duty
of fair representation claim based on lack of subject matter jurisdiction); Ahmad v.
White Plains City Sch. Dist., No. 18-cv-3416, 2019 WL 3202747, at *12-13 (S.D.N.Y.
July 16, 2019) (dismissing public employee’s duty of fair representation claim for lack
of subject matter jurisdiction) (citations omitted).6
B. Defendants’ Motions to Dismiss Plaintiff’s State Law Claims
The County Defendants further move to dismiss Plaintiff’s state law claims for
breach of the CBA and violations of the NYSHRL, pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6). See
6 Because subject matter jurisdiction is lacking, the Court does not address whether the NLRA
claim is timely.
County Memo, 7-12. The CSEA Defendants similarly move to dismiss Eisenberg’s
state law claim for breach of contract. See CSEA Memo, 5-6. The Amended
Complaint is brought pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1331, which confers upon courts federal
question jurisdiction over suits “arising under the Constitution, laws, or treaties of
the United States.” 28 U.S.C. § 1331. Thus, in light of the dismissal of all federal
law claims against all Defendants, the Court must first determine whether it should
exercise supplemental jurisdiction over Eisenberg’s state law claims before
addressing the merits of Defendants’ motions.
In the absence of federal question jurisdiction, district courts may exercise
“supplemental jurisdiction over all other claims that are so related to claims in the
action within such original jurisdiction that they form part of the same case or
controversy.’” Montefiore Med. Ctr. v. Teamsters Local 272, 642 F.3d 321, 332 (2d Cir.
2011) (quoting 28 U.S.C. § 1367(a)). Supplemental jurisdiction “is a doctrine of
discretion, not of plaintiff’s right.” Heckmann v. Town of Hempstead, No. 10-cv-5455,
2013 WL 1345250, at *2 (E.D.N.Y. Mar. 27, 2013) (quoting United Mine Workers of
Am. v. Gibbs, 383 U.S. 715, 726, 86 S. Ct. 1130, 1139 (1966)). A federal court “usually
should decline the exercise of supplemental jurisdiction when all federal claims have
been dismissed at the pleading stage[.]” Denney v. Deutsche Bank AG, 443 F.3d 253,
266 (2d Cir. 2006) (citation omitted); see also Brooklyn Heights Ass’n v. Nat’l Park
Serv., 818 F. Supp. 2d 564, 570 (E.D.N.Y. 2011); 28 U.S.C. § 1367(c).
As set forth above, the Court dismissed all of Eisenberg’s federal law claims on
the pleadings. Accordingly, the Court declines to exercise supplemental jurisdiction
over the remaining state law causes of action and dismisses these claims without
prejudice for lack of subject matter jurisdiction pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(1).
See Kolari v. New York-Presbyterian Hosp., 455 F.3d 118, 124 (2d Cir. 2006) (vacating
district court’s order over state law claims where all federal law claims had been
dismissed before trial and remanding with instructions that state law claims be
dismissed without prejudice); see also McGuire v. City of N.Y., No. 12-cv-814, 2015
WL 8489962, at *8 (E.D.N.Y. Dec. 8, 2015) (declining to depart from the Supreme
Court and Second Circuit’s general rule that “when the federal claims are dismissed
the state law claims should be dismissed as well”) (internal quotation marks and
citations omitted).
IV. CONCLUSION
For the reasons stated above, the Amended Complaint is dismissed in its
entirety. The ADA claim against the County Defendants and the NLRA claim against
the CSEA Defendants are dismissed with prejudice, while the remaining state law
claims against Defendants are dismissed without prejudice and remanded to state
court. See McGuire, 2015 WL 8489962, at *9 (citing Carnegie-Mellon Univ. v. Cohill,
484 U.S. 343, 357, 108 S. Ct. 614, 623 (1988)) (“[A] district court has discretion to
remand to state court a removed case involving pendent claims upon a proper
determination that retaining jurisdiction over the case would be inappropriate.”).
Dated: Central Islip, New York
August 30, 2019
SO ORDERED
/s/ Steven I. Locke
STEVEN I. LOCKE
United States Magistrate Judge