Wright v. New York City Housing Authority

Background

Tyreen E. Wright, appearing without a lawyer, sued the New York City Housing Authority under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the Family and Medical Leave Act. He alleged that his former employer discriminated and retaliated against him based on his religion and disability.

Reason for Dismissal

The court stated that Wright had submitted a substantially similar complaint that was already pending under case number 20-CV-11054 (AJN). Because the two cases raised the same claims against the same defendants, the court concluded that continuing this duplicate lawsuit would serve no useful purpose.

Ruling

The court dismissed the complaint without prejudice as duplicative of the pending action. This means the dismissal did not bar Wright from pursuing the matter in the pending case. The court noted that Wright could seek to amend that pending case to add new defendants, allegations, or claims in compliance with Rule 15 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. All other pending matters in this case were terminated.

The court also certified under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(3) that an appeal would not be taken in good faith and denied permission to appeal without paying the required fees. The opinion does not decide whether Wright's discrimination or retaliation claims have merit.