Walters v. City of New York
- Analisa Torres
- 1:23-cv-07782
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 1
In Walters v. City of New York, Judge Torres adopted a report recommending summary judgment for the City and dismissal of Walters’s claims.
Sheron Walters and the City of New York; the order directs entry of judgment for the City consistent with the adopted report and recommendation.
What happened
Sheron Walters, who represented himself, sued the City of New York under a federal civil-rights law, alleging that contracting COVID-19 while incarcerated violated his constitutional rights. The City asked for summary judgment.
The court referred the City’s motion to Judge Katharine H. Parker, who recommended granting the motion and dismissing Walters’s claims. Walters did not object to that recommendation.
Judge Analisa Torres found no clear error, adopted Judge Parker’s recommendation in full, and directed the clerk to enter judgment for the City, close the motion, and mail Walters a copy of the order.
The detailed version
- Walters v. City of New York · No. 1:23-cv-07782
- Analisa Torres
- June 16, 2025
Background
Sheron Walters, proceeding without a lawyer, sued the City of New York under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, a federal law allowing claims against state or local governments for certain constitutional-rights violations. Walters alleged that his contraction of COVID-19 while incarcerated at the Eric M. Taylor Center on Rikers Island violated his rights under the First, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments.
The City moved for summary judgment, which asks the court to decide a claim without a trial when the legal standards for doing so are met. District Judge Analisa Torres referred the motion to Magistrate Judge Katharine H. Parker.
Recommendation and Review
Judge Parker issued a report and recommendation advising that the City’s motion for summary judgment be granted and Walters’s claims be dismissed. The opinion states that Walters was notified of his right to object but filed no objections, and the deadline for doing so passed.
Because there were no objections, Judge Torres reviewed the report for clear error. She found no clear error in Judge Parker’s report.
Ruling
Judge Torres adopted Judge Parker’s report and recommendation in its entirety. She directed the clerk to enter judgment in favor of the City consistent with the order and the report, terminate the City’s motion, and mail a copy of the order to Walters.
Read the full 1-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.