Mathew Ross (Partner-White Plains, NY) and Lauren Zink (Partner-New York, NY) obtained a pre-answer dismissal of a 106-page complaint in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, in which the plaintiff alleged a litany of federal and New York state claims against Wilson Elser’s clients, a psychology group, and its psychologist employee, along with various other defendants. Allegations included RICO violations, deprivation of procedural due process, equal protection violations, conspiracy to interfere with civil rights, fraud/deceit, intentional/negligent infliction of emotional distress, professional malpractice, negligent hiring, retention, and supervision, and spoliation of evidence.

In this federal matter, the pro se plaintiff – an attorney –brought sweeping claims arising out of pending New York Family Court custody proceedings, alleging that a broad group of defendants, including our clients, the sitting Family Court judge, the plaintiff’s ex-wife and her counsel, court-appointed representatives, government agencies, and others engaged in a years-long scheme to violate his constitutional rights and interfere with his relationship with his daughter. As to our clients, the plaintiff alleged negligent hiring and supervision, claiming the psychology group’s employee, who was hired by the plaintiff and his wife together for a period between 2019 and 2020 to treat their daughter, falsified reports and records, triggering an investigation that led to the suspension of his custodial rights.

Prior to answering, Mat and Lauren filed a pre-answer motion seeking to dismiss the entirety of the plaintiff’s complaint pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6), arguing for dismissal on multiple grounds. They maintained that the plaintiff’s federal claims against the client were barred pursuant to the Younger abstention and Rooker-Feldman doctrines. They further argued that the plaintiff’s New York State claims were subject to dismissal because the complaint failed to state a claim upon which relief could be granted, coupled with the fact that the plaintiff’s New York State claims were time-barred pursuant to the respective statute of limitations.

In a 30-page decision, the court granted Mat and Lauren’s motion in full, agreeing that the Younger abstention doctrine barred the plaintiff’s federal claims because they interfered with ongoing state custody proceedings, and that the plaintiff’s conclusory allegations of bad faith were insufficient to overcome that bar. The court also found the claims precluded by the Rooker-Feldman doctrine, which prohibits federal review of state court custody determinations. With respect to the plaintiff’s RICO and Section 1985(3) claims, the court dismissed these claims on the basis that they were conclusory, that the plaintiff did not adequately allege that any of the defendants are state actors, and that the plaintiff otherwise failed to sufficiently plead facts showing a plausible entitlement to relief.  Finally, the judge held that the court declined to exercise supplemental jurisdiction over the plaintiff’s state law claims, given that the anchoring federal claims were dismissed. As such, the judge directed the Clerk to enter judgment dismissing the action for lack of subject matter jurisdiction.