Smiley v. Commissioner of Social Security
- Cathy Seibel
- 7:20-cv-04998
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 1
In Smiley v. Commissioner, Judge Seibel dismissed the case with prejudice after a favorable Social Security decision followed the court’s earlier remand.
Tressie Smiley and the Commissioner of Social Security; the order closed the action after the administrative proceedings produced a fully favorable decision for Smiley.
What happened
In Smiley v. Commissioner of Social Security, the court had sent the case back to the Commissioner for further administrative proceedings on March 11, 2021, while keeping authority over the case. The court retained that authority under a provision allowing certain Social Security cases to be remanded while the court remains involved.
The administrative proceedings ended with a February 4, 2022 decision that was fully favorable to Tressie Smiley. The court said the case should be reopened to resolve its remaining authority over the matter.
The court ordered the action dismissed with prejudice and said neither party would recover costs. The Clerk was directed to enter judgment. Judge Cathy Seibel signed the order.
The detailed version
- Smiley v. Commissioner of Social Security · No. 7:20-cv-04998
- Cathy Seibel
- Mar. 5, 2025
Background
The court had previously remanded this Social Security case to the Commissioner for further administrative proceedings on March 11, 2021. The court retained jurisdiction under sentence six of 42 U.S.C. § 405(g), a provision that permits a court to send a case back for further proceedings while retaining authority to address the case later.
Proceedings After Remand
The administrative proceedings on remand ended with a February 4, 2022 decision that was fully favorable to Tressie Smiley. The opinion does not describe the underlying benefits issues or explain the administrative decision’s reasoning.
Ruling
The court stated that reopening the case was appropriate to resolve its retained jurisdiction. It ordered that the action be dismissed with prejudice and without costs to either party. “With prejudice” was the court’s stated disposition. The Clerk was directed to enter judgment. Judge Cathy Seibel signed the order on March 5, 2025.
Read the full 1-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.