Williams v. City Derm

Background

Earl Williams, who was representing himself and had permission to file without prepaying fees, sued City Derm Harlem and City Derm Bronx. He alleged that the clinics denied him medical treatment for cysts on his back and face and discriminated against him. He also described visits to Jacobi Hospital and other medical facilities, but he did not name Jacobi Hospital or its operator, New York City Health+Hospitals, as defendants.

Williams alleged that City Derm Harlem told him it could perform the procedure and accept his insurance, took photographs of his face and back, and then did not respond as promised. He later alleged that a doctor at another clinic would not perform the facial procedure but would perform back surgery. At Jacobi Hospital, he believed he would receive treatment for the cysts but was instead admitted in connection with a pacemaker; he left without receiving the surgery he wanted. He later alleged that City Derm Bronx denied or mishandled an appointment and that he was treated disrespectfully.

Court’s Analysis

The court screened the complaint under the statute governing complaints filed without prepaying fees. It explained that such a complaint must be dismissed if it is frivolous, fails to state a claim for relief, seeks money from an immune defendant, or falls outside the court’s subject-matter jurisdiction.

The court found no viable federal claim based on the alleged denial of medical care. It stated that there is no general federal right to medical care, especially from private entities. A claim under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 requires a violation of a federal right by a person acting for the government. The court concluded that City Derm Harlem and City Derm Bronx were private entities, and Williams did not allege facts showing that they were acting for the government or that a special relationship with the government created a right to medical care.

The court separately considered Williams’s allegations about Jacobi Hospital. It stated that Jacobi is operated by New York City Health+Hospitals, a public benefit corporation whose hospitals and employees can be government actors for purposes of Section 1983. But Williams did not name Jacobi Hospital or Health+Hospitals as defendants. The court also found that he did not allege a special relationship entitling him to medical treatment or facts showing that Health+Hospitals had a policy, custom, or practice that caused a federal-rights violation.

The court also dismissed the discrimination allegations for failure to state a claim. Williams did not identify a specific federal law supporting the claim, did not identify his own race, and did not allege facts showing that defendants treated him differently from similarly situated people because of a protected characteristic. The court characterized the discrimination allegations as conclusions unsupported by facts showing unlawful bias.

Because the federal claims were dismissed, the court declined to exercise supplemental jurisdiction—the court’s authority to hear related state-law claims—over any state-law claims Williams might have intended to assert. The court also declined to allow Williams to amend because it found that the complaint’s defects could not be corrected by amendment.

Ruling

Judge Laura Taylor Swain dismissed the complaint under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2)(B)(ii). The order stated that all other pending matters were terminated. The court certified that any appeal would not be taken in good faith and denied Williams permission to proceed without prepaying fees for an appeal.