Knowles v. St. Barnabas Hospital
- Gregory Woods
- 1:21-cv-02569
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In Knowles v. Saint Barnabas Hospital, Judge Woods granted defendants’ motions to dismiss, adopted the report, and allowed amendment.
Alonza I. Knowles’s claims were dismissed without prejudice, while Saint Barnabas Hospital, N&N Apartments, and the City of New York obtained dismissal of their motions as granted; Knowles was allowed to amend the complaint within 30 days.
What happened
In Knowles v. Saint Barnabas Hospital, Alonza I. Knowles sued Saint Barnabas Hospital, N&N Apartments, and the City of New York. The opinion does not describe the specific claims or underlying events.
A magistrate judge recommended dismissing Knowles’s claims without prejudice. Knowles objected, but the district court found the objections too general to target specific findings and reviewed the recommendation under the applicable standard.
Judge Gregory H. Woods accepted and adopted the recommendation in full, granted defendants’ motions to dismiss, and allowed Knowles to file an amended complaint within 30 days. The court also directed the clerk to terminate the listed pending motions.
The detailed version
- Knowles v. St. Barnabas Hospital · No. 1:21-cv-02569
- Gregory Woods
- Oct. 15, 2021
Background Alonza I. Knowles brought claims against Saint Barnabas Hospital, N&N Apartments, and the City of New York. The opinion does not explain the claims’ factual or legal basis because it relies on the magistrate judge’s earlier report and recommendation for the detailed facts and procedural history. The opinion states that Knowles was proceeding without a lawyer.
Report and Recommendation On September 30, 2021, Magistrate Judge Robert W. Lehrburger recommended that Knowles’s claims be dismissed without prejudice. Knowles filed timely objections. The district court explained that specific objections to a magistrate judge’s recommendation receive fresh review, while general, conclusory, or repetitive objections receive clear-error review. The court found that Knowles’s objections were not specific or directed at particular findings.
Ruling The district court stated that it reviewed Judge Lehrburger’s report and recommendation and found it thoughtful and accurate. Judge Gregory H. Woods accepted and adopted the report and recommendation in full. The court granted defendants’ motions to dismiss and granted Knowles leave to amend the complaint no later than 30 days after the order. The clerk was directed to terminate the motions pending at Docket Nos. 41–43 and 48. Because the order grants leave to amend, the ruling did not bar Knowles from filing an amended complaint under the terms stated in the order.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.