Jimenez v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. et al
Filing
44
ORDER ADOPTING REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION for 42 Report and Recommendations, 30 Motion to Dismiss filed by Chase Bank, James Dimon, John R. Fraser. Accordingly, for the reasons articulated in Judge Netburn's well-reasoned R&R, Pla intiff's objections are overruled and the R&R is adopted in its entirety as the opinion of the Court. As recommended by the R&R, the Court grants Plaintiff leave to amend his complaint to cure the deficiencies identified with respect to his Fair Housing Act claim. Any such amended complaint must be filed no later than March 25, 2019. The Clerk of Court is directed to terminate the motion pending at Dkt. No. 30. SO ORDERED. (Signed by Judge Gregory H. Woods on 2/25/2019) (anc)
U NI T E D S T A T E S DI S T RI C T C O U R T
S O U T H E R N DI S T RI C T O F N E W Y O R K
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J U S TI N M A R C E L JI M E N E Z,
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Pl ai ntiff , :
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-a g ai nst :
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C H A S E B A N K, J O H N R. F R A S E R, a n d J A M E S :
DI M O N,
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D ef e n d a nts .:
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US D C S D N Y
D OC U ME NT
E L E C T R O NI C A L L Y FI L E D
D O C #: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
D A T E FI L E D: 2 / 2 5 / 2 0 1 9
1: 1 8 -c v -3 2 9 7 -G H W
O R D E R A D O P TI N G R E P O R T A N D
R E C O M M E N D A TI O N
G R E G O R Y H. W O O D S , U nit e d St at es Distri ct J u d g e:
B ef or e t h e C o urt is t h e R e p ort a n d R e c o m m e n d ati o n ( t h e “ R & R ”) b y M a gistr at e J u d g e
S ar a h N et b ur n , d at e d J a n u ar y 2 8, 2 0 1 9. D kt. N o. 4 2 . I n A pril of 2 0 1 8, J usti n M ar c el Ji m e n e z
( “ Pl ai ntiff ”) fil e d s uit a g ai nst J P M or g a n C h as e B a n k, N. A. ( “J P M C ”), as w ell as J a mi e Di m o n,
J P M C’s C E O, a n d J o h n Fr as er, t h e C hi ef I n v est m e nt Offi c er of J u ni us R e al Est at e, a s p e ci ali z e d r eal
est at e i n v est m e nt u nit of J P M C (t o g et h er, “ D ef e n d a nts ”). I n br o a d str o k es, Pl ai ntiff all e g es t h at
J P M C dis cri mi n at es a g ai nst p e o pl e of c ol or b y f aili n g t o hir e mi n oriti es i n m an a g e m e nt p ositi o ns.
H e ass erts cl ai ms u n d er Titl e VII of t h e Ci vil Ri g hts A ct of 1 9 6 4, 4 2 U. S. C. § 1 9 8 3, 4 2 U. S. C.
§ 1 9 8 5, t h e F air H o usi n g A ct, t h e F air Tr a d e C o m missi o n A ct, N e w Y or k E x e c uti v e L a w 6 3 2 -a, a n d
t h e 1 4t h A m e n d m e nt of t h e U nit e d St at es C o nst it uti o n.
D ef e n d a nts m o v e d t o dis miss Pl ai ntiff’s c o m pl ai nt o n J ul y 1 2, 2 0 1 8. D kt. N o. 3 0. Pl ai ntiff
fil e d t w o d o c u m e nts i n o p p ositi o n o n J ul y 2 4, 2 0 1 8 : first, a m e m or a n d u m of l a w a n d affi d a vit i n
o p p ositi o n t o D ef e n d a nts’ m oti o n t o dis miss , D kt. N o. 3 6 ; a n d, s e c o n d, a n affi d a vit i n o p p ositi o n t o
D ef e n d a nts’ m oti o n t o dis miss. D kt. N o. 3 7.
D ef e n d a nts fil e d t h eir r e pl y o n A u g ust 2 3, 2 0 1 8. D kt.
N o. 4 0.
I n h er R & R, J u d g e N et b ur n r e c o m m e n d e d gr a nti n g D ef e n d a nts’ m oti o n a n d dis missi n g all
of Pl ai ntiff’s cl a i ms. T h e R & R r e c o m m e n d e d t h at t h e C o urt dis miss wit h pr ej u di c e a n d wit h o ut
l e a v e t o a m e n d all of Pl ai ntiff’s cl ai ms e x c e pt f or Pl ai ntiff’s cl ai m u n d er § 8 0 4( c) of t h e F air H o usi n g
A ct . T h e R & R r e c o m m e n d e d t h at Pl ai ntiff’s F air H o usi n g A ct cl ai m b e dis miss e d wit h o ut
pr ej u di c e, a n d t hat h e b e gr a nt e d l e a v e t o a m e n d t h at cl ai m . Pl ai ntiff ti m el y fil e d o bj e cti o ns t o t h e
R & R o n F e br u ar y 1 1, 2 0 1 9 . D kt. N o. 4 3 .
A distri ct c o urt r e vi e wi n g a m a gistrat e j u d g e ’s r e p ort a n d r e c o m m e n d ati o n “ ma y a c c e pt,
r ej e ct, or m o dif y, i n w h ol e or i n p art, t h e fi n di n gs or r e c o m m e n d ati o ns m a d e b y t h e m a gistrat e
j u d g e. ” 2 8 U. S. C. § 6 3 6( b)( 1)( C). P arti es m a y r ais e s p e cifi c, writt e n o bj e cti o ns t o
t h e r e p ort a n d r e c o m m e n d ati o n wit hi n 1 4 d a ys of b ei n g s er v e d wit h a c o p y of t h e r e p o rt. 2 8
U. S. C. § 6 3 6( b)( 1)( C); see also F e d. R. Ci v. P. 7 2( b)( 2). If a p art y s u b mits a ti m el y o bj e cti o n, a distri ct
c o urt r e vi e ws de novo t h e p arts of t h e r e p ort a n d r e c o m m e n d ati o n t o w hi c h t h e p art y o bj e ct e d. See i d .
W h e n n eit h er p art y s u b mits a n o bj e cti o n t o a r e p ort a n d r e c o m m e n d ati o n, or a n y p orti o n t h er e of, a
distri ct c o urt r e vi e ws t h e r e p ort a n d r e c o m m e n d ati o n f or cl e ar err or. M arte v. Berry hill , N o. 1 7-C V 3 5 6 7 (V S B ) (J L C), 2 0 1 8 W L 5 2 5 5 1 7 0, at * 1 ( S. D. N. Y. O ct. 2 2, 2 0 1 8).
H a vi n g r e vi e w e d t h e pl e a di n gs, t h e p arti es’ s u b missi o ns i n c o n n e cti o n wit h t h e D ef e n d a nts’
m oti o n t o dis miss , t h e R & R, a n d Pl ai ntiff’s o bj e cti o ns t o t h e R & R, t h e C o urt a gr e es wit h J u d g e
N et b ur n ’s c o n cl usi o ns a n d a d o pts t h e R & R i n its e ntir et y. T h er e is n o cl e ar err or i n t h e p orti o ns of
t h e R & R t o w hi c h Pl ai ntiff h as v oi c e d n o o bj e cti o n. As t o t h os e p orti o ns t o w hi c h Pl ai ntiff h as
o bj e ct e d, t h e C o urt h as r e vi e w e d t h e m de novo a n d c o n cl u d e d t h at t h e R & R is c orr e ct o n all l e gal
iss u es t h at it a d dr ess es.
Pl ai ntiff r ais ed t w o o bj e cti o ns n ot a d dr ess e d b y t h e R & R its elf w hi c h m erit c o m m e nt h er e .
First, Pl ai ntiff ar g u es t h at J u d g e N et b ur n l a c ks a ut h orit y u n d er 2 8 U. S. C. § 6 3 6 “t o d et er mi n e
w h et h er a cas e s h o ul d b e dis miss e d d u e t o a s u p p os e d f ail ur e t o st at e a clai m. ” I d. at 4. T h at is tr u e
t o a n e xt e nt. 2 8 U. S. C. § 6 3 6( b)( 1)( A) e x cl u d es fr o m a m a gistrat e j u d g e’s a ut h orit y t h e p o w er t o
2
“ dis miss f or fail ur e t o st at e a clai m u p o n w hi c h r eli ef c a n b e gr a nt e d . . . . ” H o w e v er, h er e, J u d g e
N et b ur n is n ot a cti n g p urs u a nt t o t h at s e cti o n of t h e st at ut e, b ut, r at h er 2 8 U. S. C. § 6 3 6( b)( 1)( B),
w hi c h p er mits t h e distri ct c o urt t o d esi g n at e a m a gistrat e j u d g e t o s u b mit t o a j u d g e pr o p os e d
“r e c o m m e n d ati o ns f or t h e dis p ositi o n b y a j u d g e of t h e c o urt, of a n y m oti o n e x c e pt e d i n
s u b p ar a gr ap h ( A) . . . . ” T h e C o urt r e q u est e d s u c h a r e c o m m e n d ati o n fr o m J u d g e N et b ur n p urs u a nt
t o t h e st at ut e, a n d s h e h as r es p o n d e d a p pr o pri at el y b y iss ui n g t h e R & R. T h e C o urt is a c c e pti n g t h at
R & R. As a r es ult, J u d g e N et b ur n h as n ot e x c e e d e d h er a ut h orit y.
Pl a i ntiff h as als o ar g u e d t h at J u d g e N et b ur n’s R & R “ e x hi bits a gr e at d eal of bi as .” D kt. N o.
4 3 at 1. Pl ai ntiff’s c o n c er n is dri v e n h e a vil y b y t h e f a ct t h at t h e R & R dr a ws c o n cl usi o ns t h at ar e
c o ntr ar y t o Pl ai ntiff’s p ositi o n. T h e C o urt h as gi v e n d u e c o nsi d er ati o n t o Pl ai ntiff’s e x pr ess e d
c o n c er n. T h e C o urt h as i n d e p e n d e ntl y r e vi e w e d t h e l e g al a n al ysis a n d c o n cl usi o ns c o nt ai n e d wit hi n
t h e R & R a n d h as d et er mi n e d t h at t h e y ar e s o u n d. Gi v e n t h e a bs e n c e of a n y ot h er e vi d e n c e of bias
o n t h e p art of J u d g e N et b ur n, t h e C o urt a c c e pts t h e R & R wit h o ut r es er v ati o n.
A c c or di n gl y, f or t h e r e as o ns arti c ul at e d i n J u d g e N et b ur n’s w ell -r e as o n e d R & R, Pl ai ntiff’s
o bj e cti o ns ar e o v err ul e d a n d t h e R & R is a d o pt e d i n its e ntir et y as t h e o pi ni o n of t h e C o urt. As
r e c o m m e n d e d b y t h e R & R, t h e C o urt gr a nts Pl ai ntiff l e a v e t o a m e n d his c o m pl ai nt t o c ur e t h e
d efi ci e n ci es i d e ntifi e d wit h r es p e ct t o his F air H o usi n g A ct clai m. A n y s u c h a m e n d e d c o m pl ai nt
m ust b e fil e d n o l at er t h a n M ar c h 2 5 , 2 0 1 9.
T h e Cl er k o f C o urt is dir e ct e d t o t er mi n at e t h e m oti o n p e n di n g at D kt. N o. 3 0.
S O O R D E R E D.
D at e d: F e br u ar y 2 5, 2 0 1 9
N e w Y or k, N e w Y or k
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G R E G O R Y H. W O O D S
U nit e d St at es Distri ct J u d g e
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