Williams v. Samaritan Daytop Village Woodside

Background

The defendants filed a motion to dismiss. The motion was referred to Magistrate Judge Valerie Figueredo, who issued a Report and Recommendation on January 29, 2025, recommending that the motion to dismiss be granted.

The Report and Recommendation advised Williams that he had 14 days to object and warned that failing to object on time could waive his right to object. Williams timely filed objections on February 12, 2025. The district court found that the objections did not identify a valid basis for rejecting the recommendation. Instead, they pointed to evidence supporting factual allegations in the complaint, including an allegation that a defendant made Williams wash utensils, food traps, a coffee pot, and pots. The court noted that the Report and Recommendation had already assumed those allegations were true for purposes of the motion.

Court’s Review

The court explained that it could accept, reject, or modify the magistrate judge’s recommendations. It would review properly made objections independently, while portions without valid objections would be reviewed for clear error. The court reviewed the motion papers, the Report and Recommendation, and Williams’s objections and found the recommendation well reasoned and supported by the facts and law.

Ruling

The court ADOPTED the Report and Recommendation in its entirety, including its recommendation to grant the defendants’ motion to dismiss. The court gave Williams until April 7, 2025, to amend his complaint to allege whether an exception to the election-of-remedies doctrine applies and to allege plausible claims under Title VII, the federal workplace-discrimination statute. The order states that if Williams does not do so, his Title VII claims will be dismissed with prejudice and the case will be closed. Judge Jessica G. L. Clarke also directed the clerk to terminate the motion and mail a copy of the order to Williams.