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Case Name
NYSARC & Parisi v. Carey
ID-NY-0003
Docket / Court
72 Civ. 356 ( E.D.N.Y. )
State/Territory
New York
Case Type(s)
Intellectual Disability (Facility)
Case Summary
On January 1, 1972, residents at the Willowbrook State School for the Mentally Retarded filed a class action lawsuit under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 against the State of New York in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. The plaintiffs, represented by the New York Civil Liberties ...
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On January 1, 1972, residents at the Willowbrook State School for the Mentally Retarded filed a class action lawsuit under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 against the State of New York in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. The plaintiffs, represented by the New York Civil Liberties Union and the Legal Aid Society of Staten Island, asked the court for declaratory and injunctive relief, alleging that their constitutional rights had been violated by overcrowding, failure to protect the physical safety of inmates, inadequate staffing, inadequate medical care, inadequate mental healthcare, and lack of sanitation.
On July 28, 1972, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York (Judge Orrin Grimmell Judd) certified the plaintiffs as a class. On April 10, 1973, the court denied the plaintiffs' requests for the immediate release of residents and the closing of the institution, but granted the plaintiffs' request for a preliminary injunction to protect the physical safety of the inmates. NYSARC v. Rockefeller, 357 F.Supp. 752 (E.D.N.Y. 1973).
In 1975, the parties entered into a consent decree, which they submitted to the court for approval. The consent decree provided for changes in the areas of physical environment, staffing, programs, and therapy for residents. On May 5, 1975, the district court approved the consent decree. NYSARC v. Carey, 393 F.Supp. 716, (E.D.N.Y. 1975).
Several years later, the plaintiffs asked the court to hold the defendants in contempt for violations of the consent decree. The defendants simultaneously asked the court to modify the consent decree. On July 13, 1982, the district court (Judge John Ries Bartels) denied the defendants' motion to modify the decree and held that they had violated the terms of the agreement. The court ordered the appointment of a special master to monitor compliance with the decree. NYSARC v. Carey, 551 F.Supp. 1165 (E.D.N.Y. 1982). The defendants appealed.
On March 31, 1983, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the portion of the district court's order for the appointment of a special master, but reversed the district court's denial of the defendants' motion to modify the decree. The Second Circuit remanded the case to the district court. NYSARC v. Carey, 706 F.2d 956 (2nd Cir. 1983). Both parties appealed. On October 17, 1983, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to grant certiorari. NYSARC v. Carey, 464 U.S. 915 (1983).
As of April 18, 2007, the parties continue to litigate about enforcement of the order and about attorneys fees.
Kristen Sagar - 04/18/2007
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Issues and Causes of Action
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Issues
Constitutional Clause
Due Process
Equal Protection
Crowding
Crowding / caseload
General
Aggressive behavior
Bathing and hygiene
Classification / placement
Confinement/isolation
Habilitation (training/treatment)
Sanitation / living conditions
Medical/Mental Health
Intellectual disability/mental illness dual diagnosis
Mental Disability
Intellectual/developmental disability, unspecified
Type of Facility
Government-run
Causes of Action
42 U.S.C. § 1983
Case Details
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Defendant(s)
Willowbrook Developmental Center
Plaintiff Description
residents at the Willowbrook State School for the Mentally Retarded
Class action status sought
Yes
Class action status granted
Yes
Filed Pro Se
No
Prevailing Party
Plaintiff
Public Int. Lawyer
Yes
Nature of Relief
Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement
Source of Relief
Settlement
Form of Settlement
Court Approved Settlement or Consent Decree
Order Duration
1975 - n/a
Filed
01/01/1972
Case Ongoing
No
Related Cases
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Case Listing
ID-NY-0005
: Society for Good Will to Retarded Children Inc. v. Cuomo (E.D.N.Y.)
Additional Resources
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See this case
at CourtListener.com
(May provide additional documents and, for active cases, real-time alerts)
The Willowbrook Wars
Date: Oct. 1, 1984
By: David J. Rothman and Sheila M. Rothman (Columbia University Faculty)
Citation: (1984)
[ Detail ]
Willowbrook
Date: Nov. 1, 1979
By: Christopher Hansen
Citation: Social Policy, vol. 41, Nov.-Dec. 1979
[ Detail ]
Documents
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Court
Docket(s)
E.D.N.Y.
06/26/2007
72-356
ID-NY-0003-9000.pdf
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Detail
Source: PACER [Public Access to Court Electronic Records]
General Documents
E.D.N.Y.
04/10/1973
Memorandum
(357 F.Supp. 752)
ID-NY-0003-0007.pdf
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WESTLAW
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LEXIS
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Detail
Source: Google Scholar
E.D.N.Y.
05/05/1975
Memorandum
(393 F.Supp. 715)
ID-NY-0003-0004.pdf
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WESTLAW
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LEXIS
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Detail
Source: Google Scholar
E.D.N.Y.
07/13/1982
Opinion
(551 F.Supp. 1165)
ID-NY-0003-0006.pdf
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WESTLAW
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LEXIS
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Detail
Source: Google Scholar
U.S. Court of Appeals
03/31/1983
Opinion
(706 F.2d 956)
ID-NY-0003-0005.pdf
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WESTLAW
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LEXIS
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Detail
Source: Google Scholar
U.S. Supreme Court
10/17/1983
Memorandum Decision
(464 U.S. 915)
ID-NY-0003-0008.pdf
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WESTLAW
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LEXIS
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Detail
Source: Westlaw
E.D.N.Y.
04/30/1985
Final Judgment
ID-NY-0003-0009.pdf
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External Link
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Detail
Source: Plaintiffs' counsel
People
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Judges
Bartels, John Ries
(E.D.N.Y.)
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ID-NY-0003-0006
Dearie, Raymond Joseph
(D.D.C., E.D.N.Y.)
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ID-NY-0003-9000
Friendly, Henry Jacob
(Second Circuit)
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ID-NY-0003-0005
Judd, Orrin Grimmell
(E.D.N.Y.)
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ID-NY-0003-0004 | ID-NY-0003-0007
Plaintiff's Lawyers
Barrett, Anita Fisher
(New York)
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ID-NY-0003-0004 | ID-NY-0003-0007
Beslity, James M.
(New York)
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ID-NY-0003-0006
Dinker, Morton B.
(New York)
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ID-NY-0003-0006
DuBose, Eugene Z.
(District of Columbia)
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ID-NY-0003-0007
Ennis, Bruce J.
(District of Columbia)
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ID-NY-0003-0004 | ID-NY-0003-0007
Feldt, Robert L.
(New York)
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ID-NY-0003-0007
Finkel, Kalman
(New York)
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ID-NY-0003-0004 | ID-NY-0003-0005 | ID-NY-0003-0007
Halpern, Charles R.
(District of Columbia)
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ID-NY-0003-0007
Hansen, Christopher A.
(New York)
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Haroules, Beth
(New York)
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ID-NY-0003-9000
Herr, Stanley
(District of Columbia)
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ID-NY-0003-0007
Hershkoff, Helen
(New York)
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Kirklin, John E.
(New York)
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Koltun, Elizabeth
(New York)
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ID-NY-0003-0006
Lado, Marianne Engelman
(New York)
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Laplace, Lisa J.
(New York)
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Leonard, Douglas
(New York)
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Levy, Robert M.
(New York)
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Mangones, Joan
(New York)
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ID-NY-0003-0004
Mueller, Roberta L.
(New York)
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Murray, Archibald R.
(New York)
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Neuborne, Burt
(New York)
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Redfield, Walter
(New York)
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Rivlin, Elisa M.
(New York)
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Schneps, Murray B.
(New York)
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Siegfried, Jonathan D.
(New York)
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Tanaka, Diana T.
(New York)
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Tepper, Julian
(District of Columbia)
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Weintraub, Henry S.
(New York)
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Weiss, Paul
(New York)
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Defendant's Lawyers
Abrams, Robert W.
(New York)
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Briggs, Taylor R.
(New York)
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Brutten, Caren S.
(New York)
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Cohen, Leonard Arthur
(New York)
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Cole, Richard C.
(New York)
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Feigenbaum, Joy
(New York)
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Gordon, Judith A.
(New York)
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Kramer, Judith T.
(New York)
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Lefkowitz, Louis J.
(New York)
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Lewittes, Joel
(New York)
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Mehlman, Frederick K.
(New York)
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Pollack, Lawrence W.
(New York)
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Sistrom, Peter A.
(New York)
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Soloff, Brenda
(New York)
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Sperduto, Kim Hoyt
(New York)
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Weinstein, Jay T.
(New York)
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Wolfe, Richard Paul
(New York)
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Other Lawyers
Chaw, Terisa
(District of Columbia)
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Cook, Timothy M.
(Pennsylvania)
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Dorfman, Diane S.
(District of Columbia)
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ID-NY-0003-0004
Korman, Edward Robert
(New York)
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Landsberg, Brian K.
(District of Columbia)
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Lerner, Louise A.
(District of Columbia)
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Lottman, Michael S.
(New York)
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Marker, Jack R.
(District of Columbia)
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Pack, Leonard B.
(New York)
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Pottinger, J. Stanley
(District of Columbia)
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Reynolds, William Bradford
(District of Columbia)
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Rieser, Leonard
(District of Columbia)
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Wilkinson, J. Harvie
(New York)
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