Williams v. Westchester Medical Center Health Network

Background

Garfield Williams, who was proceeding without a lawyer, asked the court to reconsider its February 28, 2025, order denying him permission to file a Fourth Amended Complaint. He relied on Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 59(e) and 60(b), and Local Civil Rule 6.3. Williams argued that he had recently obtained a recording of an October 23, 2019, conversation. According to Williams, the recording supplied details about Kenneth Osario’s knowledge of alleged harassment and discrimination involving Marcela Steger, Osario’s failure to act, and the connection between that conduct and Williams’s termination.

Williams argued that the recording was newly discovered evidence, that allowing the amendment would not unfairly delay or prejudice the defendants, and that refusing permission to amend would cause an unfair result. He also argued that the recording should be considered when evaluating whether his claims were legally plausible.

Court’s ruling

The court denied the motion. It stated that the request to amend was moot because the motion to dismiss had already been decided, referring to docket entry 115. The court also referred to its earlier order, docket entry 106, and repeated two points: the court’s role at the motion-to-dismiss stage is not to weigh evidence, and Williams’s explanation for failing to allege a conversation between himself and Osario could not be explained by the recording’s unavailability.

The court directed the Clerk of Court to terminate the pending motion, docket entry 110, and to mail a copy of the order to Williams. The opinion does not state the result of the already-decided motion to dismiss. It therefore does not decide the underlying allegations about harassment, discrimination, retaliation, or termination in this order.