Morgan v. Saul
- Kenneth Karas
- 7:21-cv-00340
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In Morgan v. Kijakazi, Judge Karas granted Morgan’s motion, denied the Commissioner’s motion, and remanded for further proceedings.
Crystal R. Morgan received a favorable judgment and a remand for further administrative proceedings; the Commissioner’s cross-motion was denied. The opinion does not state the specific administrative errors or what benefits determination must follow.
What happened
Crystal R. Morgan asked the federal court to review the Social Security Administration’s decision denying her application for disability insurance benefits and/or supplemental security income in Morgan v. Kijakazi.
Morgan and the Acting Commissioner each asked for judgment based on the written record. Judge McCarthy recommended granting Morgan’s motion and denying the Commissioner’s motion, and neither side objected.
Judge Kenneth M. Karas adopted the recommendation in full, granted Morgan’s motion, denied the Commissioner’s cross-motion, entered judgment for Morgan, and sent the matter back to the Commissioner for further administrative proceedings.
The detailed version
- Morgan v. Saul · No. 7:21-cv-00340
- Kenneth Karas
- Aug. 2, 2022
Background
Crystal R. Morgan sought judicial review under 42 U.S.C. § 405(g) of the final decision denying her application for disability insurance benefits and/or supplemental security income. The opinion identifies Kilolo Kijakazi as the Acting Commissioner of Social Security and notes that she was substituted for former Commissioner Andrew Saul.
Motions and Report
Morgan and the Acting Commissioner filed cross-motions for judgment on the pleadings under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(c). The case was referred to Magistrate Judge Judith C. McCarthy, who issued a July 8, 2022, Report and Recommendation recommending that Morgan’s motion be granted and the Commissioner’s cross-motion be denied. Neither party filed objections.
Because there were no objections, Judge Karas reviewed the Report and Recommendation for clear error. He stated that he found no substantive error and adopted the recommendation.
Ruling
Judge Karas ordered that the Report and Recommendation be adopted in its entirety. He granted Morgan’s Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings, denied the Defendant’s Cross-Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings, entered judgment in Morgan’s favor, and remanded the matter to the Commissioner for further administrative proceedings. The Clerk was directed to terminate the pending motions and close the case.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.