JAMES C. DEVER III, Chief Judge.
Randle Cooke and Kendrick Douglas (collectively "plaintiffs") are detainees in the custody of the Bureau of Prisons pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 4248. Each has been designated a "sexually dangerous person" under 18 U.S.C. § 4248 and is committed at the Butner Federal Correctional Complex in Butner, North Carolina. Plaintiffs have health conditions that require them to use wheelchairs for mobility and filed this action pursuant to the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968, 42 U.S.C. §§ 4151-4156, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. § 794 et seq., the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, 42 U.S.C. § 2000bb et seq., and the First and Fifth Amendments of the United States Constitution [D.E. 1].
On April 23, 2012, defendants filed a motion to dismiss or for summary judgment [D.E. 25]. On June 8, 2012, plaintiffs responded in opposition to the motion [D.E. 29] and filed a motion for discovery and to deny defendants' motion to dismiss or for summary judgment [D.E. 30]. See Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(d). Defendants filed a reply in support of their motion to dismiss or for summary judgment [D.E. 31], and a response in opposition to plaintiffs' motion for discovery [D.E. 32]. Plaintiffs filed a reply [D.E. 34]. As explained below, defendants' motion to dismiss is granted in part and denied in part, and defendants' motion for summary judgment is denied without prejudice.
Plaintiffs Randle Cooke ("Cooke") and Kendrick Douglas ("Douglas") are detainees in the custody of the Attorney General as "sexually dangerous persons" pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 4248 at the Butner Federal Correctional Complex in Butner, North Carolina ("Butner"). Compl. ¶ 12.
Plaintiffs contend that defendants' motion for summary judgment is premature due to the absence of any discovery. Generally, "summary judgment is appropriate only after adequate time for discovery." Evans v. Techs. Applications & Serv. Co., 80 F.3d 954, 961 (4th Cir.1996) (quotation omitted). Rule 56(d) provides:
Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(d). Thus, Rule 56(d) permits a court to delay ruling on a motion for summary judgment if the nonmoving party requires discovery to identify "facts essential to justify the party's opposition." Crawford-El v. Britton, 523 U.S. 574, 599 n. 20, 118 S.Ct. 1584, 140 L.Ed.2d 759 (1998) (quotation omitted); see Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 250 n. 5, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986); Nader v. Blair, 549 F.3d 953, 961-62 (4th Cir.2008).
A party requesting relief pursuant to Rule 56(d) must demonstrate that the party has not had sufficient time to develop information needed to oppose the summary judgment motion. See, e.g., Harrods Ltd. v. Sixty Internet Domain Names, 302 F.3d 214, 244 (4th Cir.2002). In making its determination, a court may consider the diligence that the non-moving party has demonstrated in pursuing discovery. See White v. BFI Waste Servs., LLC, 375 F.3d 288, 295 n. 2 (4th Cir.2004); Harrods Ltd., 302 F.3d at 245; Strag v. Bd. of Trs., 55 F.3d 943, 953-54 (4th Cir. 1995). A court also may consider whether the case "involves complex factual questions about intent and motive." Harrods, 302 F.3d at 247.
Plaintiffs' attorney has filed a declaration asserting the need for discovery and stating that no discovery has taken place in this case. See Pls.' Rule 56(d) Mot., Soares Decl.
Defendants respond that discovery is unnecessary because the court should dismiss the case for failure to exhaust administrative remedies or pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). See Defs.' Opp'n Pls.' Rule 56(d) Mot. 2-3. Defendants further contend that "the declaration in support of Plaintiffs' motion does not specifically identify information sought by discovery, the reasons the information has not yet been obtained, and the materiality of the information to its opposition to the summary judgment motion." Id. 5-6 (internal quotation and citation omitted).
As for defendants' argument that plaintiffs failed to exhaust administrative
Plaintiffs concede that they did not exhaust any administrative remedies as to any claims. Nonetheless, they contend that as detainees under 18 U.S.C. § 4248, they are not "prisoners" under the PLRA and have no duty to exhaust administrative remedies under the PLRA. In support, they correctly note that proceedings under 18 U.S.C. § 4248 are civil, not criminal, actions. See United States v. Comstock, 560 U.S. 126, 130 S.Ct. 1949, 1954, 176 L.Ed.2d 878 (2010); United States v. Caporale, 701 F.3d 128, 130 (4th Cir.2012); United States v. Wooden, 693 F.3d 440, 442-43 (4th Cir.2012); United States v. Francis, 686 F.3d 265, 268 (4th Cir.2012); United States v. Timms, 664 F.3d 436, 456 (4th Cir.2012); United States v. Broncheau, 645 F.3d 676, 683 (4th Cir. 2011). Thus, they argue that their claims are not subject to the PLRA's mandatory exhaustion requirement. See Hicks v. James, 255 Fed.Appx. 744, 748 (4th Cir. 2007) (per curiam) (unpublished) (collecting cases); Michau v. Charleston Cnty., S.C., 434 F.3d 725, 727-28 (4th Cir.2006) (holding that a person detained under South Carolina's Sexually Violent Predator Act does not meet the PLRA's definition of "prisoner" and therefore, the PLRA's requirements do not apply to his claims).
The court agrees that plaintiffs' claims are not subject to the PLRA's exhaustion requirement because plaintiffs were not "prisoners" as defined in the PLRA on the date that they filed suit. See, e.g., Hicks, 255 Fed.Appx. at 748; Michau, 434 F.3d at 727-28; accord Talamantes v. Leyva, 575 F.3d 1021, 1024 (9th Cir.2009) (collecting cases). Accordingly, the PLRA did not require them to exhaust administrative remedies before filing suit.
As for defendants' argument under Rule 12(b)(6), the court must determine whether the complaint is legally and factually sufficient. See Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6); Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678-79, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009); Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007); Coleman v. Md. Court of Appeals, 626 F.3d 187, 190 (4th Cir.2010), aff'd, ___ U.S. ___, 132 S.Ct. 1327, 182 L.Ed.2d 296 (2012); Giarratano v. Johnson, 521 F.3d 298, 302 (4th Cir.2008); accord Erickson
The court first addresses plaintiffs' claim under the Architectural Barriers Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 4151-4156 ("ABA"). See Compl. ¶¶ 5559. Congress enacted the ABA "to insure whenever possible that physically handicapped persons will have ready access to, and use of, [federal] buildings." 42 U.S.C. § 4152. Defendants assert that plaintiffs cannot bring a private cause of action under the ABA and must instead seek "`enforcement through administrative processes of the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board [("Board")] with final decisions of that body subject to judicial review.'" Defs.' Mem. Supp. Mot. Dismiss 8 (citing Gray v. United States, No. 2:10-cv-467-DBH, 2011 WL 5191294, at *6 (D.Me. Oct. 31, 2011) (unpublished), recommendation adopted, 2011 WL 5826600 (D.Me. Nov. 18, 2011) (unpublished)). In opposition to this conclusion, plaintiffs cite Rose v. United States Postal Service, 774 F.2d 1355, 1356-57, 1361-62 (9th Cir.1984), for the proposition that they may file a private cause of action under the ABA without first exhausting the ABA's administrative process. See Pls.' Mem. Opp'n Mot. Dismiss 10.
Pursuant to 29 U.S.C. § 792(e)(1), the Board "shall conduct investigations, hold public hearings, and issue such orders as it deems necessary to ensure compliance with the" ABA, and "any complainant or participant in a proceeding [before the Board] may obtain [judicial] review of a final order issued in such proceeding." 29 U.S.C. § 792(e)(1). Moreover, the Board's "executive director is authorized ... to bring a civil action in any appropriate United States district court to enforce, in whole or in part, any final order of the" Board. Id. § 792(e)(2). Thus, under the statutory scheme plaintiffs first must exhaust the administrative process under the ABA, and then seek judicial review.
Plaintiffs argue that because they "are seeking only injunctive relief ... as opposed to ... monetary damages," they need not present a claim first to the Board. Pls.' Mem. Opp'n Mot. Dismiss 9-10. Plaintiffs, however, cite no precedent to support the notion that a party seeking only injunctive relief is exempt from exhausting administrative remedies under the ABA, and the court concludes that only seeking injunctive relief does not obviate a plaintiffs obligation to comply with the ABA's statutory scheme. See 42 U.S.C. §§ 4151-4156; 29 U.S.C. § 792(e); accord Former Special Project Emps. Ass'n, v. City of Norfolk, 909 F.2d 89, 90, 93 (4th Cir.1990) (dismissing action seeking declaratory and injunctive relief under the Model Cities Act upon concluding that the Act did not create an implied private right of action); Smith v. Reagan, 844 F.2d 195, 201-02 (4th Cir.1988) (dismissing action seeking declaratory and injunctive relief
Next, the court addresses plaintiffs' claim in count two under section 504(a) of the Rehabilitation Act. See Compl. ¶¶ 60-78. Section 504(a) of the Rehabilitation Act provides:
29 U.S.C. § 794(a). The 1978 amendment to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 added the phrase "under any program or activity conducted by any Executive agency or by the United States Postal Service" to section 504(a) and added the requirement that the head of each Executive agency promulgate regulations "to carry out" the 1978 amendment. See Pub.L. No. 95-602, tit. IV, § 119, 92 Stat. 2955, 2982 (1978). Plaintiffs' claim in count two relies on the 1978 amendment and notes that the Bureau of Prisons is part of the United States Department of Justice, which is an "Executive Agency" under the Rehabilitation Act. See Compl. ¶ 64. Plaintiffs also cite a portion of the Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. § 703, in count two.
In accordance with the 1978 amendment to section 504(a), the Department of Justice published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking concerning the "enforcement of section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of handicap, as it applies to programs and activities conducted by the Department of Justice." 28 C.F.R. Pt. 39, Nt., at 1048 (2012). Thereafter, the Department of Justice published a Supplementary Notice further explaining the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. See id. In accordance with section 504(a), and after receiving and reviewing public comments on the proposed regulations, the Department of Justice submitted the proposed
The regulations apply "to all programs or activities conducted by the agency." 28 C.F.R. § 39.102. The regulations provide in part:
Id. § 39.151. The regulations also have a section entitled, "[c]ompliance procedures." Id. § 39.170. These compliance procedures apply "to all allegations of discrimination on the basis of handicap in programs or activities conducted by the agency," except employment complaints. Id. §§ 39.170(a)(b).
The regulations describe the administrative process concerning a complaint in great detail. See id. § 39.170(f). The process includes investigation and conciliation. See id. § 39.170(g). If the parties cannot reach an "informal resolution of the complaint," the official (i.e., "the Director of Equal Employment Opportunity for the Department of Justice or his or her designee") must notify the complainant and respondent of the results of the investigation within 180 days of receipt of the complaint. See id. § 39.170(h); see also § 39.103 (defining "Official"). If either party is not satisfied, the party may file an appeal to the Complaint Adjudication Officer, who is
After the hearing, the administrative law judge must "submit in writing recommended findings of fact, conclusions of law, and remedies to all parties and the Complaint Adjudication Officer within 30 days after receipt of the hearing transcripts, or within 30 days after the conclusion of the hearing if no transcript is made." Id. § 39.170(k)(6). The Complaint Adjudication Officer then must make the agency decision. Id. § 39.170(1). Finally, the Complaint Adjudication Officer "may retain responsibility for resolving disagreements that arise between the parties over interpretation of the final agency decision, or for specific adjudicatory decisions arising out of implementation." Id.
In 1984, the Department of Justice explained its rationale for adopting section 39.170 in the supplementary information concerning the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Supplementary Notice. See 28 C.F.R. Pt. 39, Nt., at 1059. The Department of Justice stated:
Id.
As with the ABA claim, defendants' motion to dismiss also asserts the failure to exhaust administrative remedies as to plaintiffs' section 504(a) claim under the Rehabilitation Act in count two. See Defs.' Mem. Support Mot. Dismiss 5 n. 4. Moreover, in connection with count two, the parties vigorously debate whether plaintiffs can pursue an implied private right of action under section 504(a) of the Rehabilitation Act or whether any such cause of action must arise under the Administrative Procedure Act ("APA"). The court, however, assumes without deciding that the plaintiffs may pursue an implied private right of action under section 504(a) and seek an injunction against the Bureau of Prisons. Cf. Barnes v. Gorman, 536 U.S. 181, 184-85, 122 S.Ct. 2097, 153 L.Ed.2d 230 (2002) (discussing an implied private cause of action under section 504(a) of the Rehabilitation Act seeking money damages against a non-federal entity
Here, in assuming without deciding that plaintiffs may pursue an implied private right of action under section 504(a) against the Bureau of Prisons, this court recognizes that some lower courts have interpreted Lane to mean that a plaintiff may pursue an implied private right of action under section 504(a) against an Executive agency of the United States so long as the plaintiff seeks only injunctive relief. See Howard v. Bureau of Prisons, Civil Action No. 3:05-CV-1372, 2008 WL 318387, at *9 (M.D.Pa. Feb. 4, 2008) (unpublished); Am. Council of Blind v. Paulson, 463 F.Supp.2d 51, 57-58 (D.D.C.2006), aff'd, 525 F.3d 1256 (D.C.Cir.2008); Mendez v. Gearan, 947 F.Supp. 1364, 1366 (N.D.Cal.1996). This court also recognizes (as did the Solicitor General in Lane) that a strong argument exists for holding that the source of the plaintiffs' cause of action should be the APA. See Clark v. Skinner, 937 F.2d 123, 125-26 (4th Cir.1991); Cousins v. Sec'y of the Dep't of Transp., 880 F.2d 603,
In analyzing whether plaintiffs first must exhaust the administrative remedies in 28 C.F.R. § 39.170, this court recognizes that the regulations implementing the Rehabilitation Act provide "an important source of guidance on the meaning of [section] 504." Alexander v. Choate, 469 U.S. 287, 304 n. 24, 105 S.Ct. 712, 83 L.Ed.2d 661 (1985). Moreover, when the Department of Justice issued the regulations contained in 28 C.F.R. §§ 39.101.170, it was the Executive branch agency that the President made responsible for coordinating agency implementation of section 504. See Darrone, 465 U.S. at 634 n. 14, 104 S.Ct. 1248 (citing Exec. Order No. 12250, 45 Fed.Reg. 72, 995 (Nov. 2, 1980)). As such, it has particular expertise with respect to the Rehabilitation Act.
As discussed, section 504(a) required the newly covered Executive agencies to promulgate regulations "to carry out" the 1978 amendment to the Rehabilitation Act, which added the phrase "any program or activity conducted by any Executive agency or by the United States Postal Service" to section 504(a). 29 U.S.C. § 794(a). In 1984, the Department of Justice promulgated such regulations as reflected in 28 C.F.R. §§ 39.101-.170. Furthermore, other district courts have concluded that an inmate at a federal correctional institution must exhaust the administrative remedies in 28 C.F.R. § 39.170 before bringing suit under section 504(a) of the Rehabilitation Act. See Brown v. Cantrell, Civil Action No. 11-cv-200-PAB-NEH, 2012 WL 4050300, at *2-4 (D.Colo. Sept. 14, 2012) (unpublished); Haley v. Haynes, Civil Action No. CV210-122, 2012 WL 112946, at *1 (S.D.Ga. Jan. 12, 2012) (unpublished); Scott v. Goord, No. 01Civ.0847(LTS)(AJP), 2004 WL 2403853, at *7-8 (S.D.N.Y. Oct. 27, 2004) (unpublished); Burgess v. Goord, No. 98 Civ.2077(SAS), 1999 WL 33458, at *7 n. 6 (S.D.N.Y. Jan. 26, 1999) (unpublished); Crowder v. True, No. 91 C 7427, 1993 WL 532455, at *5-6 (N.D.Ill. Dec. 21, 1993) (unpublished); contra Franco-Gonzales v. Holder, 767 F.Supp.2d 1034, 1046 n. 5 (C.D.Cal.2010). However, in all but two of these cases (Crowder and Franco-Gonzales), the district court also concluded that the PLRA required exhaustion. Moreover, none of the cases thoroughly examined whether an inmate who is not subject to the PLRA should be required to exhaust administrative remedies under 28 C.F.R. § 39.170.
In deciding whether to require plaintiffs to exhaust administrative remedies under 28 C.F.R. § 39.170, the court acknowledges certain governing principles. First, if Congress has mandated exhaustion of administrative remedies, then exhaustion is required. See Coit Independence Joint Venture v. Fed. Say. & Loan Ins. Corp., 489 U.S. 561, 579, 109 S.Ct. 1361, 103 L.Ed.2d 602 (1989). Here, although Congress mandated that all Executive agencies "carry out" the 1978 amendment making section 504 applicable to "any program or activity conducted by [the] the Executive agency," 29 U.S.C. § 794(a), Congress itself did not mandate exhaustion of the administrative remedies (if any) contained in the ensuing regulations. Thus, sound judicial discretion governs
Generally, a party should exhaust federal administrative remedies before seeking relief in federal court. See Myers v. Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp., 303 U.S. 41, 50-51 & nn. 9-10, 58 S.Ct. 459, 82 L.Ed. 638 (1938) (describing history of doctrine of exhaustion of administrative remedies); Cavalier Tel., 303 F.3d at 322. Exhaustion is particularly appropriate where a federal agency can apply its special expertise. See McKart v. United States, 395 U.S. 185, 194, 89 S.Ct. 1657, 23 L.Ed.2d 194 (1969). Requiring exhaustion promotes efficiency in that an agency can correct mistakes that it has made in connection with a program that it administers before being haled into federal court. See Jones, 549 U.S. at 219, 127 S.Ct. 910; Woodford, 548 U.S. at 88-89, 126 S.Ct. 2378; Parisi v. Davidson, 405 U.S. 34, 37, 92 S.Ct. 815, 31 L.Ed.2d 17 (1972); McKart, 395 U.S. at 195, 89 S.Ct. 1657. In addition, a claim usually can be resolved more quickly and less expensively in an administrative forum as opposed to litigation in federal court. Furthermore, if the claim is resolved to a claimant's satisfaction at the administrative level, the administrative process moots the need to litigate in federal court. See Jones, 549 U.S. at 219, 127 S.Ct. 910; Woodford, 548 U.S. at 89, 126 S.Ct. 2378; Parisi, 405 U.S. at 37, 92 S.Ct. 815; McKart, 395 U.S. at 195, 89 S.Ct. 1657; Cavalier Tel., 303 F.3d at 322. Even if the claimant is not satisfied with the outcome in the administrative process, the administrative process usually will produce an administrative record that will help to clarify any ensuing litigation in federal court. See Jones, 549 U.S. at 219, 127 S.Ct. 910; Weinberger v. Salfi, 422 U.S. 749, 765, 95 S.Ct. 2457, 45 L.Ed.2d 522 (1975); Cavalier Tel., 303 F.3d at 322.
The Supreme Court has focused on three issues in analyzing the exercise of judicial discretion concerning the exhaustion of administrative remedies. First, a court should examine whether resort to the administrative process will result in indefinite or unreasonable delay versus a prompt administrative decision. See Coit Independence Joint Venture, 489 U.S. at 587, 109 S.Ct. 1361; Gibson v. Berryhill, 411 U.S. 564, 575 n. 14, 93 S.Ct. 1689, 36 L.Ed.2d 488 (1973); Walker v. Southern Ry., 385 U.S. 196, 198, 87 S.Ct. 365, 17 L.Ed.2d 294 (1966) (per curiam). Second, a court should examine whether the agency is empowered to grant effective relief. See Gibson, 411 U.S. at 575 n. 14, 93 S.Ct. 1689; cf. McCarthy v. Madigan, 503 U.S. 140, 153-54, 112 S.Ct. 1081, 117 L.Ed.2d 291 (1992) (declining to require exhaustion, in part, because agency lacked the power to grant monetary relief in the administrative process), superseded by the PLRA as stated in Woodford, 548 U.S. at 84-85, 126 S.Ct. 2378 (discussing the PLRA); Leedom v. Kyne, 358 U.S. 184, 190-91, 79 S.Ct. 180, 3 L.Ed.2d 210 (1958) (no need to exhaust administrative remedies where the NLRB acted beyond its jurisdiction); Mont. Nat'l Bank of Billings v. Yellowstone Cnty., 276 U.S. 499, 505, 48 S.Ct. 331, 72 L.Ed. 673 (1928) (no need to exhaust administrative remedies where agency process would be futile due to the agency's inability to provide appropriate relief). Third, a court should examine the adequacy of the administrative process, including whether the agency has expertise and whether the decisionmaking process is biased. See McCarthy, 503 U.S. at 147-49, 112 S.Ct. 1081; Gibson, 411 U.S. at 575 n.
Having considered these three issues, the court will exercise its discretion and require plaintiffs to exhaust the administrative remedies in 28 C.F.R. § 39.170. First, the process described in 28 C.F.R. § 39.170 includes prompt deadlines that the Department of Justice must meet in resolving an inmate's claim under section 504(a) of the Rehabilitation Act. See 28 C.F.R. § 39.170(d)-(1).
Second, the Department of Justice is empowered to grant the requested relief. As mentioned, regardless whether plaintiffs' claim in count two is properly brought in court as an implied private cause of action under section 504(a) of the Rehabilitation Act or under the APA, the requested remedy in federal court is the same: an injunction mandating that the Bureau of Prisons make changes in facilities and programs to accommodate plaintiffs' alleged disabilities. However, the Department of Justice, through the administrative process, has the power to make whatever changes (if any) are needed in order to ensure that the Bureau of Prisons complies with the Rehabilitation Act. Moreover, that the plaintiffs seek only injunctive relief strongly supports requiring exhaustion of administrative remedies. "An appeal to the equity jurisdiction conferred in federal district courts is an appeal to the sound discretion which guides determinations of courts of equity." Meredith v. City of Winter Haven, 320 U.S. 228, 235, 64 S.Ct. 7, 88 L.Ed. 9 (1943). Any litigant "making such an appeal must show that the intervention of equity is required." Farmer v. Brennan, 511 U.S. 825, 847, 114 S.Ct. 1970, 128 L.Ed.2d 811 (1994). "When a prison inmate seeks injunctive relief, a court need not ignore the inmate's failure to take advantage of [available administrative] procedures, and an inmate who needlessly bypasses such procedures may properly be compelled to pursue them." Id.; see McCarthy, 503 U.S. at 153 n. 5, 112 S.Ct. 1081; cf. Myers, 303 U.S. at 51 n. 9, 58 S.Ct. 459 (observing that exhaustion of administrative remedies "has been most frequently applied ... where relief by injunction was sought").
Third, the administrative process is more than adequate. Under 28 C.F.R. § 39.170, the Department of Justice has established a detailed procedure involving the Director of Equal Employment Opportunity for the Department of Justice or his or her designee, id. § 39.103, the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, id., a Complaint Adjudication Officer appointed by the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, id., and an administrative law judge, id. § 39.170(k). Moreover, where, as here, a complaint alleges a violation of the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968, as amended, the Department of Justice also must send the complaint to the Board. See 28 C.F.R. § 39.170(e). Nothing suggests bias or incompetence on the part of these officials to evaluate plaintiffs' claim under section 504(a) of the Rehabilitation Act. Indeed, everything suggests just the opposite. Accordingly, all three factors warrant this court's conclusion that plaintiffs must exhaust the administrative remedies in 28 C.F.R. § 39.170 before pursuing count two in this court.
Finally, there is nothing inconsistent about rejecting defendants' exhaustion argument under the PLRA, but requiring exhaustion under 28 C.F.R. § 39.170. Congress enacted the PLRA in 1996 and included a definition of "prisoner," which the Fourth Circuit has construed not to include individuals subject to civil commitment. See 42 U.S.C. § 1997e(h); Hicks, 255 Fed.Appx. at 748; Michau, 434 F.3d at 727-28. If plaintiffs were "prisoners"
Likewise, requiring plaintiffs to exhaust their administrative remedies in 28 C.F.R. § 39.170 does not conflict with cases holding that no exhaustion of administrative remedies is required when a private plaintiff seeks damages or injunctive relief under section 504(a) of the Rehabilitation Act against a non-federal defendant conducting "a program or activity receiving [f]ederal financial assistance" within the meaning of section 504(a). 29 U.S.C. § 794(a); see, e.g., Freed v. Consol. Rail Corp., 201 F.3d 188, 191-93 (3d Cir.2000) (collecting cases); Tuck v. HCA Health Srvs. of Tenn., Inc., 7 F.3d 465, 470-71 (6th Cir. 1993) (collecting cases); Lucas v. Henrico Cnty. Sch. Bd., 822 F.Supp.2d 589, 603 (E.D.Va.2011) (collecting cases); Thompson v. Va. Dep't of Game & Inland Fisheries, No. 1:05CV00109, 2006 WL 1310363, at *4 (W.D.Va. May 14, 2006) (collecting cases), aff'd, 196 Fed.Appx. 164 (4th Cir. 2006) (per curiam) (unpublished); accord Fitzgerald v. Barnstable Sch. Comm., 555 U.S. 246, 255, 129 S.Ct. 788, 172 L.Ed.2d 582 (2009) (noting that there is no requirement to exhaust administrative remedies before filing an implied private cause of action under Title IX concerning "any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance"). By definition and unlike in the cited cases, the Department of Justice regulations at 28 C.F.R. § 39.170 apply only to the programs or activities conducted by the Department of Justice. 28 C.F.R. § 39.102. Thus, by definition and unlike in the cited cases, the Department of Justice regulations do not apply to such private plaintiffs who are seeking relief from non-federal defendants who obtain "federal financial assistance" within the meaning of section 504(a). Moreover, requiring the plaintiffs in this case to exhaust their administrative remedies comports with the wall of precedent that requires federal and Postal Service employees seeking relief under section 501 or section 504(a) of the Rehabilitation Act to exhaust available federal administrative remedies before filing suit in federal court. See Kratville v. Runyon, 90 F.3d 195, 198-99 (7th Cir.1996); Clarke v. Runyon, No. 95-2347, 1995 WL 619943, at *1 (4th Cir. Oct. 23, 1995) (per curiam) (unpublished); Spence v. Straw, 54 F.3d 196, 198-202 (3d Cir.1995); Vinieratos v. United States, 939 F.2d 762, 773 (9th Cir.1991); Doe v. Garrett, 903 F.2d 1455, 1459-62 (11th Cir. 1990); Morgan v. U.S. Postal Serv., 798 F.2d 1162, 1164-65 (8th Cir.1986) (per curiam); Smith v. U.S. Postal Serv., 742 F.2d 257, 258-62 (6th Cir.1984); Prewitt v. U.S. Postal Serv., 662 F.2d 292, 301-04 (5th Cir. Unit A Nov.1981).
Next, the court addresses plaintiffs' constitutional claims. Plaintiffs
Id. ¶ 83. According to plaintiffs, "Defendants' failure to comply with the Fifth Amendment has resulted in harm to Plaintiffs and will continue to do so, as Plaintiffs will remain in the custody of the BOP and will continue to be subjected to these conditions unless and until Defendants are ordered by this [c]ourt to modify their policies, practices, and procedures pursuant to the Fifth Amendment." Id. ¶ 84.
The parties' arguments concerning defendants' motion to dismiss the constitutional claims focus on the balancing test set forth in Turner v. Safley, 482 U.S. 78, 89-91, 107 S.Ct. 2254, 96 L.Ed.2d 64 (1987). The court agrees that Turner applies to inmates detained under a civil commitment statute. See Wolfe v. Christie, Civil Action No. 10-2083(PGS), 2010 WL 2925145, at *6-7 (D.N.J. July 19, 2010) (unpublished); Solkolsky v. Voss, No. 1:07-cv-00613-OWW-SMS-PC, 2008 WL 927722, at *5-6 (E.D.Cal. Apr. 4, 2008) (unpublished).
Plaintiffs have stated a claim under the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment. See, e.g., Turner, 482 U.S. at 89-91, 107 S.Ct. 2254; O'Lone v. Estate of Shabazz, 482 U.S. 342, 348-50, 107 S.Ct. 2400, 96 L.Ed.2d 282 (1987); Creveling v. Johnson, Civil Action No. 11-667(SDW), 2011 WL 3444092, at *6-7 (D.N.J. Aug. 4, 2011) (unpublished); Francis v. Watson, C/A No. 3:05-2499-JFA-JRM, 2006 WL 2716452, at *3 (D.S.C. Sept. 22, 2006). Whether plaintiffs can prove their Free Exercise claim is an issue for another day. Thus, the court denies defendants' motion to dismiss plaintiffs' First Amendment claim.
As for plaintiffs' Fifth Amendment claim that they have been denied a constitutional right to privacy in medical treatment, the Supreme Court has never held that an inmate has a constitutional right to privacy in medical treatment. See Rollins v. Miller, No. 1:12-cv-298-RJC, 2012 WL 4974966, at *2 (W.D.N.C. Oct. 17, 2012) (unpublished); Sherman v. Jones, 258 F.Supp.2d 440, 442-43 (E.D.Va.2003); Adams v. Drew, 906 F.Supp. 1050, 1054-58 (E.D.Va.1995). Rather, the Supreme Court has recognized that "imprisonment carries with it the circumscription or loss of many significant rights." Hudson v. Palmer, 468 U.S. 517, 524, 104 S.Ct. 3194,
The court assumes without deciding that plaintiffs possess a limited constitutional right to privacy in medical treatment. See Pearson v. Callahan, 555 U.S. 223, 241, 129 S.Ct. 808, 172 L.Ed.2d 565 (2009) (federal court should not pass on questions of constitutionality unless such adjudication is unavoidable); accord NASA v. Nelson, ___ U.S. ___, 131 S.Ct. 746, 756-57, 178 L.Ed.2d 667 (2011) (assuming without deciding that inquiries in a government agency's official background investigation "implicate a privacy interest of constitutional significance"). In doing so, the court acknowledges that some federal circuit courts have recognized that an inmate has a limited constitutional right to medical privacy. See Moore v. Prevo, 379 Fed. Appx. 425, 428 (6th Cir.2010) (unpublished) (holding that an inmate has a "privacy interest in guarding against disclosure of sensitive medical information from other inmates subject to legitimate penological interests"); Doe v. Delie, 257 F.3d 309, 316-17, 323 (3d Cir.2001) (recognizing that deliberately indifferent disclosure of HIV-positive inmate's medical status could violate inmate's constitutional right to medical privacy when made to "corrections officer escorts" and by "loud announcement"); Powell v. Schriver, 175 F.3d 107, 109, 112 (2d Cir.1999) (recognizing that "gratuitous disclosure" of inmate's status as a transsexual "as humor or gossip" and "in the presence of other inmates and staff members" violates inmates's constitutional right to medical privacy).
Here, plaintiffs have failed to plausibly allege that defendants were deliberately indifferent to their alleged constitutional right to medical privacy. See Franklin v. McCaughtry, 110 Fed.Appx. 715, 719 (7th Cir.2004) (per curiam) (unpublished) ("[S]ome amount of sharing of medical information in areas where it might be overheard by other patients ... is commonplace.... Franklin appears to complain of nothing more than this sort of general indiscretion, including the argument that treatment in front of staff members is offensive.... Because the semi-public discussion of these ailments would not transgress the constitutional right to information privacy insofar as that right might extend to prisoners, we affirm the district court's dismissal and reserve for another day a fuller treatment of this question."); Patin v. LeBlanc, Civil Action No. 11-3071, 2012 WL 3109402, at *21 (E.D.La. May 18, 2012) (unpublished) ("There is no clearly defined law which would require the counselor[]s at [the prison] to speak with Patin in a particular setting or in extreme privacy."), report and recommendation
Finally, the court addresses plaintiffs' claim under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, 42 U.S.C. § 2000bb et seq. ("RFRA"). See Compl. ¶¶ 85-91. RFRA prohibits the federal government from "substantially burden[ing] a person's exercise of religion," even as a result of a law of general applicability, unless the federal government can demonstrate that the burden "(1) is in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest; and (2) is the least restrictive means of furthering that compelling governmental interest." 42 U.S.C. § 2000bb-1(a)-(b); Lebron v. Rumsfeld, 670 F.3d 540, 556-57 (4th Cir. 2012); Madison v. Riter, 355 F.3d 310, 315 (4th Cir.2003); O'Bryan v. Bureau of Prisons, 349 F.3d 399, 401-02 (7th Cir.2003); Kikumura v. Hurley, 242 F.3d 950, 961-62 (10th Cir.2001).
Plaintiffs have demonstrated a good-faith need to develop a factual record in order to oppose defendants' summary judgment motion as to the Free Exercise claim and the RFRA claim. See Fed. R.Civ.P. 56(d). Because the parties have not engaged in any discovery in this action and plaintiffs' counsel has filed an appropriate Rule 56(d) affidavit, the court grants plaintiffs' Rule 56(d) motion and denies
In sum, defendants' motion to dismiss or for summary judgment [D.E. 25] is GRANTED IN PART and DENIED IN PART. Count one under the Architectural Barriers Act and count two under the Rehabilitation Act are DISMISSED without prejudice for failure to exhaust administrative remedies. Count three under the Fifth Amendment is DISMISSED without prejudice for failure to state a claim. Plaintiffs' Rule 56(d) motion [D.E. 30] is GRANTED IN PART as to the two remaining claims (the Free Exercise claim and the RFRA claim), and defendants' motion for summary judgment is DENIED without prejudice as to the two remaining claims. The parties shall confer and file a proposed scheduling order (or separate proposed orders, if the parties cannot agree) no later than March 25, 2013. Finally, the court GRANTS Elaine Gardner's motion to withdraw [D.E. 38].