Case: U.S. v. New Jersey

3:04-cv-03708 | U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey

Filed Date: Aug. 2, 2004

Closed Date: 2009

Clearinghouse coding complete

Case Summary

On April 8, 2003, the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division ("DOJ") sent a findings letter to New Jersey's governor, advising him of the results of a May-June 2002, DOJ investigation of conditions and practices at the New Lisbon Developmental Center (NLDC), which houses people with developmental disabilities, with intellectual disabilities that ranged from mild to profound. The investigation occurred under the authority of the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA),…

On April 8, 2003, the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division ("DOJ") sent a findings letter to New Jersey's governor, advising him of the results of a May-June 2002, DOJ investigation of conditions and practices at the New Lisbon Developmental Center (NLDC), which houses people with developmental disabilities, with intellectual disabilities that ranged from mild to profound. The investigation occurred under the authority of the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA), 42 U.S.C. § 1997.

Based on a site visit and document review, and despite the state's recent efforts to improve, DOJ advised that its investigation found continuing deficiencies in resident care at NLDC; conditions and services there substantially departed from generally accepted standards of care, and violated both constitutional and federal statutory rights of residents.

According to the findings letter, deficiencies existed in five topic areas, causing residents significant harm or risk of harm through NLDC's failure to: (1) keep residents safe (e.g., residents subjected to neglect, physical and verbal abuse; disproportionate number of unexplained injuries; facility's systematic reductions in penalties for abuse fostered atmosphere where abuse and neglect were tolerated); (2) provide residents with adequate psychological, behavioral, and psychiatric services (e.g., inadequate, non-individualized behavior programs and functional analysis of problem behaviors, including a failure to sufficiently incorporate positive reinforcement and health concerns in plans; inconsistent program implementation, monitoring, and follow-up; poor staff training and plan revision; unreasonable, excessive, and insufficiently-recorded use of restraints, padded helmets, and medications or manual contact for control; inadequate psychiatric staffing; failure to employ data-based decision-making; psychotropic polypharmacy without strong justification and intense oversight); (3) provide adequate habilitation services and supports to residents (e.g., lack of skills training objectives or of person-centered planning; plans that are not comprehensive, holistic, or the product of an interdisciplinary process, and which lack measurable outcomes or specificity in services; inconsistent plan implementation; poorly-trained staff which seldom engaged residents or collected/recorded adequate data to permit evaluation and improvement; insufficient training, vocational, and work opportunities for residents who would benefit from such services); (4) provide adequate health care (failure to meet needs of residents with bowel obstructions and nutritional and physical management concerns; inadequate neurological services for residents with seizure disorders; over-obligated physicians; substandard mealtime, positioning, and seating assistance and assessments; occupational, physical, and communication therapy inadequacies; unacceptable oral hygiene); and (5) provide services to NLDC residents in the most integrated setting appropriate to the residents' needs, as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act ("ADA"), 42 U.S.C. § 12131 et seq.; 28 C.F.R § 35.130(d). As to this latter category, DOJ observed slow and poorly-funded transitions resulting from a NLDC process inadequate to identify appropriate individuals for community placement. The letter provided details of deficiencies for all five of the categories, and outlined proposed remedial measures, and warned the state that, absent resolution of federal concerns, the DOJ would file a CRIPA lawsuit to compel correction of the identified deficiencies at NLDC.

On August 2, 2004, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, DOJ simultaneously filed a CRIPA complaint against New Jersey and its officials responsible for operation of the NLDC and tendered a settlement agreement between the parties, the latter setting out numerous remedial measures to be taken by the state in response to the deficiencies existing at NLDC. The lawsuit, seeking declaratory and injunctive relief, set out that the state had violated NLDC violated residents' Fourteenth Amendment due process rights and their rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act ("ADA"), 42 U.S.C §§ 12101 et seq., and the ADA's implementing regulations, 28 C.F.R. Part 35.

The settlement obligated the state to ensure, and to periodically report upon its progress in ensuring, improvements that would bring the facilities up to generally accepted professional standards of care. The agreement provided that Elin Howe would be appointed as Compliance Monitor, with the ability to use independent consultants funded by the state. The monitor would also be state-funded, with total monitor-and-consultant costs capped at $200,000 per year, except added funds would be available for abuse, neglect, or death-related monitoring/reporting). She was required to periodically report, pursuant to an attached protocol, upon the state's compliance with obligations imposed by the agreement. After four years, the agreement would automatically terminate, unless extended through agreement of the parties or terminated earlier due to substantial compliance being achieved. The settlement also allowed for the United States, if it had cause to believe conditions threatened the immediate health and safety of NLDC residents (and at any time in the final six months of the agreement) to conduct compliance reviews, with facility inspections and interviews of staff and residents, and to fully access and review relevant documents.

District Judge Garrett E. Brown, Jr., approved the settlement on August 5, 2004, and issued an unpublished order which granted the parties' request to conditionally dismiss the case.

On June 13, 2008, the parties agreed to a one-year extension of the settlement agreement. On August 21, 2009, the court signed an order of final dismissal in the case.

Summary Authors

Elizabeth Daligga (7/25/2012)

People


Judge(s)

Brown, Garrett E. Jr. (New Jersey)

Attorney for Plaintiff

Acosta, R. Alexander (District of Columbia)

Ashcroft, John (District of Columbia)

Boyd, Ralph F. Jr. (District of Columbia)

Attorney for Defendant

Beaty, Mary Stephanie (New Jersey)

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Documents in the Clearinghouse

Document

3:04-cv-03708

Docket [PACER]

Aug. 21, 2009

Aug. 21, 2009

Docket

3:04-cv-03708

Re: New Lisbon Developmental Center, New Lisbon, New Jersey

DOJ CRIPA Investigation of New Lisbon Developmental Center, New Lisbon, New Jersey

April 8, 2003

April 8, 2003

Findings Letter/Report

3:04-cv-03708

Complaint

U.S. v. New Jersey

July 2, 2004

July 2, 2004

Complaint

3:04-cv-03708

Settlement Agreement

U.S. v. New Jersey

July 2, 2004

July 2, 2004

Settlement Agreement

Docket

Last updated March 27, 2024, 3:14 a.m.

ECF Number Description Date Link Date / Link
1

COMPLAINT against JAMES DAVY, JAMES E. MCGREEVEY, JEFFREY SCHROEDER, JAMES W. SMITH JR., THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY ( Filing fee $ 0. receipt number no receipt.) , filed by UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. filing fee waived(tp ) (Entered: 08/05/2004)

Aug. 2, 2004

Aug. 2, 2004

2

SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT by JAMES DAVY, JAMES E. MCGREEVEY, JEFFREY SCHROEDER, JAMES W. SMITH JR., THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY. (tp ) (Entered: 08/05/2004)

Aug. 2, 2004

Aug. 2, 2004

3

Joint MOTION for conditional dismissal by JAMES DAVY, JAMES E. MCGREEVEY, JEFFREY SCHROEDER, JAMES W. SMITH JR., THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. (tp ) (Entered: 08/05/2004)

Aug. 2, 2004

Aug. 2, 2004

4

ORDER granting 3 Motion to Dismiss . Signed by Judge Garrett E. Brown, Jr. on 08/05/04. (ss, ) (Entered: 08/18/2004)

Aug. 5, 2004

Aug. 5, 2004

***Civil Case Terminated. (ss, ) (Entered: 08/18/2004)

Aug. 5, 2004

Aug. 5, 2004

5

SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT One Year Extention by THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY. (Attachments: # 1 One Year Extention of Settlement Agreement)(MCCOACH, HOWARD) (Entered: 06/13/2008)

June 13, 2008

June 13, 2008

6

NOTICE of Appearance by MARY STEPHANIE BEATY on behalf of all defendants (BEATY, MARY) (Entered: 07/28/2009)

July 28, 2009

July 28, 2009

7

MOTION for Extension of Time to Amend 5 Settlement Agreement Proposed Order staying termination of extension agreement by THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY. (Attachments: # 1 Text of Proposed Order)(BEATY, MARY) (Entered: 07/28/2009)

July 28, 2009

July 28, 2009

Set Deadlines as to 7 MOTION for Extension of Time to Amend 5 Settlement Agreement Proposed Order staying termination of extension agreement . Motion set for 9/8/2009 before Chief Judge Garrett E. Brown, Jr.. The motion will be decided on the papers. No appearances required unless notified by the court. (lk) (Entered: 07/29/2009)

July 29, 2009

July 29, 2009

8

NOTICE of Appearance by GERARD ANDREW HUGHES on behalf of all defendants (HUGHES, GERARD) (Entered: 08/20/2009)

Aug. 20, 2009

Aug. 20, 2009

9

STIPULATION of Dismissal by JAMES W. SMITH, JR, JEFFREY SCHROEDER, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY, JAMES E. MCGREEVEY, JAMES DAVY. (Attachments: # 1 Text of Proposed Order)(HUGHES, GERARD) (Entered: 08/20/2009)

Aug. 20, 2009

Aug. 20, 2009

10

ORDER OF FINAL DISMISSAL. Signed by Chief Judge Garrett E. Brown, Jr. on 8/21/09. (lk) (Entered: 08/21/2009)

Aug. 21, 2009

Aug. 21, 2009

Case Details

State / Territory: New Jersey

Case Type(s):

Intellectual Disability (Facility)

Special Collection(s):

Multi-LexSum (in sample)

Key Dates

Filing Date: Aug. 2, 2004

Closing Date: 2009

Case Ongoing: No

Plaintiffs

Plaintiff Description:

U.S. Department of Justice (on behalf of developmentally disabled and mentally retarded residents living at the New Lisbon facility)

Plaintiff Type(s):

U.S. Dept of Justice plaintiff

Attorney Organizations:

U.S. Dept. of Justice Civil Rights Division

Public Interest Lawyer: Yes

Filed Pro Se: No

Class Action Sought: No

Class Action Outcome: Not sought

Defendants

State of New Jersey, State

New Lisbon Developmental Center (New Lisbon), State

Case Details

Causes of Action:

Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA), 42 U.S.C. § 1997 et seq.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), 42 U.S.C. §§ 12111 et seq.

Available Documents:

Trial Court Docket

Complaint (any)

Injunctive (or Injunctive-like) Relief

Outcome

Prevailing Party: Plaintiff

Nature of Relief:

Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement

Source of Relief:

Settlement

Form of Settlement:

Court Approved Settlement or Consent Decree

Order Duration: 2004 - 2009

Issues

General:

Communication skills

Food service / nutrition / hydration

Individualized planning

Neglect by staff

Restraints : physical

Staff (number, training, qualifications, wages)

Jails, Prisons, Detention Centers, and Other Institutions:

Habilitation (training/treatment)

Assault/abuse by staff (facilities)

Disability and Disability Rights:

disability, unspecified

Integrated setting

Mental impairment

Developmental disability without intellectual disability

Intellectual/developmental disability, unspecified

Discrimination-basis:

Disability (inc. reasonable accommodations)

Medical/Mental Health:

Dental care

Medical care, general

Mental health care, general

Type of Facility:

Government-run