Lenz v. Social Security
- Kenneth Karas
- 7:20-cv-09429
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In Lenz v. Commissioner, Judge Karas granted Lenz’s motion, denied the Commissioner’s motion, and remanded the benefits case for further proceedings.
Peter James Lenz and the Commissioner of Social Security; the case was sent back to the Commissioner for further administrative proceedings concerning Lenz’s application for disability insurance benefits and/or supplemental security income benefits.
What happened
In Lenz v. Social Security, Peter James Lenz asked the federal court to review the Commissioner of Social Security’s decision denying an application for disability insurance benefits and/or supplemental security income benefits.
Lenz moved for judgment on the pleadings, and the Commissioner filed a cross-motion. A magistrate judge recommended granting Lenz’s motion and denying the Commissioner’s motion. Neither side objected to that recommendation.
Judge Kenneth M. Karas found no clear error, adopted the recommendation in full, granted Lenz’s motion, denied the Commissioner’s cross-motion, entered judgment for Lenz, and remanded the matter to the Commissioner for further administrative proceedings.
The detailed version
- Lenz v. Social Security · No. 7:20-cv-09429
- Kenneth Karas
- Aug. 31, 2022
Background
Peter James Lenz sought review under 42 U.S.C. § 405(g) of the Commissioner of Social Security’s final decision denying an application for disability insurance benefits and/or supplemental security income benefits. Lenz moved for judgment on the pleadings under Rule 12(c) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. The Commissioner filed a cross-motion for judgment on the pleadings.
Report and Recommendation
The case was referred to Magistrate Judge Gary R. Jones. On July 19, 2022, Judge Jones recommended granting Lenz’s motion and denying the Commissioner’s cross-motion. Neither party filed objections. Because there were no objections, the District Court reviewed the recommendation for clear error.
Ruling
Judge Kenneth M. Karas stated that he reviewed the recommendation and found no substantive error, clear or otherwise. The court therefore adopted the recommendation in its entirety. It granted Lenz’s Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings, denied the Commissioner’s Cross Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings, entered judgment in favor of Lenz, and remanded the matter to the Commissioner for further administrative proceedings. The court also directed the Clerk to terminate the pending motions and close the case.
The opinion adopting the recommendation does not describe the specific reasoning or error that led to the remand.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.