VITALIANO, District Judge.
Pro se plaintiff Mireille P. Leroy commenced this action against the Board of Elections in the City of New York ("BOE"), alleging that BOE's decision to keep her name off of a primary ballot violated her constitutional rights. In a Memorandum and Order dated September 21, 2009, the Court denied Leroy's request for injunctive relief but granted her leave to file an amended complaint. After Leroy filed the amended complaint on October 7, 2009, the Court again dismissed the portions of that complaint that sought injunctive relief. The Court made a point to express no opinion on the claims for damages. BOE now moves to dismiss the complaint in its entirety pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). For the reasons set forth below, the motion is granted.
The following allegations are drawn from the pleadings and are considered true for purposes of the current motion.
On or about July 16, 2009, Leroy filed a petition to be placed on the September 15, 2009 Democratic Party primary ballot for City Council in District 28 in Queens. The petition was comprised of a cover sheet and petition volumes containing identification and the signatures of voters supporting Leroy's candidacy, who were "petitioning" to have her name placed on the ballot. The cover sheet was defective; it stated that 16 separate volumes were attached but there were only 15 volumes filed. By letter dated July 21, 2009, BOE notified plaintiff of the defect and gave her an opportunity to cure it within 72 hours. Leroy then filed an amended cover sheet on or about July 23, 2009, which, as it turns out, was also defective. The amended cover sheet omitted the name of the political party in whose primary election plaintiff sought to run. On July 27, 2009, BOE "notified" Leroy's representative, William Reilly, in writing, that Leroy's name would not appear on the ballot for the September 15, 2009 primary.
On August 7, 2009, plaintiff commenced a special proceeding in Supreme Court,
The instant motion addresses Leroy's claims for damages in which she alleges that BOE (1) deprived her of due process; (2) discriminated against her on the basis of gender; and (3) "violated the federal voters' laws by improperly allowing a conflict of interest to exist between the BOE and [her] campaign." Plaintiff seeks damages in the amount of $28 million.
To survive dismissal under Rule 12(b)(6), a complaint "must contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to `state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.'" Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 1949, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009) (quoting Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 1974, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007)). "A claim has facial plausibility when the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged." Id. Plaintiffs must provide more than a "formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause of action." Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555, 127 S.Ct. at 1965. A court must presume the truth of all factual allegations in the complaint for purposes of Rule 12(b)(6), but the court is not bound to accept the truth of legal conclusions couched as factual allegations. Papasan v. Allain, 478 U.S. 265, 286, 106 S.Ct. 2932, 2944, 92 L.Ed.2d 209 (1986). Indeed, it is the factual allegations that are paramount, as "a complaint need not pin plaintiffs claim for relief to a precise legal theory," nor does it need to provide "an exposition of his legal argument." Skinner v. Switzer, 562 U.S. ___, 131 S.Ct. 1289, 1296, 179 L.Ed.2d 233 (2011).
In analyzing well-pled facts, a court will draw all reasonable inferences in favor of plaintiff. See Gorman v. Consol. Edison Corp., 488 F.3d 586, 591-92 (2d Cir.2007). Moreover, because plaintiff here proceeds pro se, her complaint must be read liberally and interpreted as raising the strongest arguments it suggests. See McEachin v. McGuinnis, 357 F.3d 197, 200 (2d Cir. 2004). If a liberal reading of the complaint "gives any indication that a valid claim might be stated," the court must grant leave to amend it. See Cuoco v. Moritsugu, 222 F.3d 99, 112 (2d Cir.2000).
On a motion to dismiss, the court may only consider the pleading itself, documents that are referenced in the complaint, documents that the plaintiff relied on in bringing suit and that are either in the plaintiff's possession or that the plaintiff knew of when bringing suit, and matters
Leroy alleges that in not certifying her name for the ballot, BOE violated her due process rights for which she seeks damages, presumably recoverable under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Defendants, in a one-paragraph briefing, summarily urge the Court to reject the claim in light of the Second Circuit's decision in Rivera-Powell v. N.Y. City Bd. of Elections, 470 F.3d 458, 464 (2d Cir.2006). The task, not surprisingly, is more complicated.
Procedural due process is constitutional bedrock. It "imposes constraints on governmental decisions which deprive individuals of `liberty' or `property' interests within the meaning of the Due Process Clause of the Fifth or Fourteenth Amendment." Mathews v. Eldridge, 424 U.S. 319, 332, 96 S.Ct. 893, 901, 47 L.Ed.2d 18 (1976). Indeed, the "right to be heard before being condemned to suffer grievous loss of any kind, even though it may not involve the stigma and hardships of a criminal conviction, is a principle basic to our society." Id. (quoting Joint Anti-Fascist Refugee Comm. v. McGrath, 341 U.S. 123, 168, 71 S.Ct. 624, 646-47, 95 L.Ed. 817 (1951) (Frankfurter, J., concurring)). Though not addressed by either side, the threshold question in adjudicating Leroy's due process claim is whether she possessed a liberty or property interest. The Supreme Court has long held that "there is no property or liberty interest in an elected office." See Douglas v. Niagara Cnty. Bd. of Elections, 07-CV-609A, 2007 WL 3036809, at *4, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 76693, at *9-10 (W.D.N.Y. Oct. 16, 2007) (citing Taylor v. Beckham, 178 U.S. 548, 577, 20 S.Ct. 890, 901, 44 L.Ed. 1187 (1900); Snowden v. Hughes, 321 U.S. 1, 7, 64 S.Ct. 397, 400, 88 L.Ed. 497 (1944)). Lower courts in this circuit have followed suit in concluding that "a candidate for political office holds no property or liberty interest in an elected position." Id. at *4, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 76693 at *10; see also LaPointe v. Winchester Bd. of Educ., 366 Fed.Appx. 256, 257 (2d Cir.2010) ("elected officials lack . . . a protected property interest in their elected offices"); Velez v. Levy, 401 F.3d 75, 86 (2d Cir.2005) (plaintiff had no "constitutionally cognizable property interest in her elected office" because "public offices are mere agencies or trusts, and not property as such") (internal quotations and citation omitted); Emanuele v. Town of Greenville, 143 F.Supp.2d 325, 333 (S.D.N.Y.2001) (a candidate has no property or liberty interest in being elected to public office); Cornett v. Sheldon, 894 F.Supp. 715, 726 (S.D.N.Y. 1995) ("a person [cannot] possess a property interest in [a] federal office"). In line with these cases, the Court finds that Leroy has no property interest in her political candidacy, and, as such, her due process claim necessarily fails.
But, even if Leroy was deprived of some property interest, perhaps viewing ballot position itself (rather than the elective office) as property, BOE's actions in this case still do not violate fundamental due process principles. It is well-settled that "[t]he Due Process Clause does not protect against all deprivations of constitutionally protected interests in life, liberty, or property, `only against deprivations without due process of law.'" Rivera-Powell, 470 F.3d at 464 (quoting Parma v. Taylor, 451 U.S. 527, 537, 101 S.Ct. 1908, 1914, 68 L.Ed.2d 420 (1981)). Plaintiff's amended complaint alleges a litany of faults demonstrating how BOE violated her due process rights. Leroy claims, specifically,
Critically, the Second Circuit has already approved the post-deprivation process provided to potential candidates under New York Election law.
Rivera-Powell, defendants are correct, is fatal to Leroy's due process claim. Though her amended complaint attempts to raise several distinct due process violations by BOE, including lack of transcription and quorum at the determination meeting, the length of time to send a determination letter, the contents of that letter, and who signed it, what plaintiff is ultimately challenging is the totality of the process that culminated in the denial of her ballot access. That process, a process
Even worse for plaintiff, case law is unclear whether any "deprivation" actually even occurs at the time when an elections board denies ballot access. Since there was a separate BOE "hearing" conducted in Rivera-Powell, the Court declined to decide "when in the course of a candidate's removal from the ballot the constitutional `deprivation' occurs—immediately after the [BOE's] vote, or only on election day, if the candidate has still not been reinstated." Rivera-Powell, 470 F.3d at 468 n. 10. This is significant as it can affect whether the Election Law § 16-102 validation proceeding should properly be considered "pre-deprivation" or "post-deprivation" review. Some lower courts, noting that Rivera-Powell left the issue unresolved, have found that any constitutional deprivation occurs on the corresponding election day, and, therefore, the § 16-102 proceeding constitutes pre-deprivation review. See Douglas, 2007 WL 3036809, at *5, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 76693, at *14-15 ("the availability of an expedited special proceeding under [] § 16-102 to address the merits of [the] petition satisfies the requirements of procedural due process"); Murawski v. Pataki, 514 F.Supp.2d 577, 586 n. 5 (S.D.N.Y.2007) ("Even in the absence of an opportunity to be heard prior to a BOE decision . . . the statutory provision for an expedited review of that determination by the New York Supreme Court provides adequate pre-deprivation review and satisfies due process requirements."); see also Cornett, 894 F.Supp. at 727 (finding that § 16-102 affords sufficient due process). The Court agrees that if the denial of ballot access is a deprivation within the ambit of due process, deprivation occurs at the first moment a voter can cast a ballot in the subject election contest, if the candidate has not yet been reinstated to the ballot. Clearly, in the practicum of politics in New York, any slings and arrows suffered by an aggrieved candidate prior to actual failure to appear on the ballot at the time of voting is de minimis. As such, the § 16-102 special proceeding
Much of the timing debate, it seems, is anchored in the view that § 16-102 is a specialized judicial review proceeding akin to the administrative review ordinarily provided by an Article 78 proceeding. It is not, since it affords far more. Viewed the way it was drafted—as an alternative route to ballot access determinations—it is compelling that § 16-102 constitutes pre-deprivation process. Pursuant to this section, a proceeding is timely if instituted within 14 days after the period to file a petition has expired,
Leroy's saga is a case in point. When BOE's examination confirmed a defect in her petition, the board notified her in writing and gave her an opportunity to cure the defect within three business days. After plaintiff responded, BOE held a meeting on July 23, 2009 to determine whether the amended cover sheet complied with state election laws and BOE rules. Leroy muddles whether she or her campaign was given notice of the meeting or an opportunity to attend and participate. (She merely claims that she was not present. BOE rules, of course, required such notice and hearing. Her amended complaint lists specific details that allegedly occurred at the determination meeting of the commissioners. Omitted from her list of horribles is any allegation that BOE did not post the notice of hearing required by the rules.) And, indeed, Rivera-Powell clearly noted that the plaintiff's representative attended and participated in a formal BOE "hearing." 470 F.3d at 463. But any added level of participation by the aggrieved candidate's campaign in the hearing described in Rivera-Powell is far from the benchmark. Due process is synonymous with two procedural attributes: notice and an opportunity to be heard. It "requires only that the state afford [the] party threatened with a deprivation . . . a process involving pre-deprivation notice and access to a tribunal in which the merits of the deprivation may be fairly challenged." Chase Grp. Alliance LLC v. City of N.Y. Dep't of Fin., 620 F.3d 146, 151-52 (2d Cir.2010). See also Interboro Inst., Inc. v. Foley, 985 F.2d 90, 93 (2d Cir.1993) (Since the plaintiff's "position on the facts and the law were exhaustively rehearsed
In any case, New York Election Law § 16-102, if not a "pre-deprivation" remedy, provided Leroy, as in Rivera-Powell, with the opportunity to obtain full "post-deprivation" judicial review. Moreover, Leroy was, without question, aware of this right as she attempted to commence a special proceeding in Queens Supreme Court on August 7, 2009. That the proceeding was dismissed as untimely is irrelevant. Similar to the plaintiff in Rivera-Powell who failed to verify the pleading initiating her § 16-102 proceeding in Supreme Court, Leroy's failure to timely file her special proceeding does not change the fact that adequate post-deprivation procedures were available to her. Substantial compliance with BOE's rules regarding ballot access determinations, including notice and the opportunity to be heard at the determination meeting, and the availability of the expedited court proceeding provided for in § 16-102 adequately satisfies the due process guarantee. Rivera-Powell, 470 F.3d at 467. Since either a full pre-deprivation process or "at least some form of pre-deprivation hearing" together with adequate post-deprivation procedures to challenge any alleged illegalities in BOE's action, id. at 466-67, was provided, Leroy's due process claim fails and is dismissed on defendants' motion.
Leroy's next claim is that BOE's conduct denied her equal protection of the laws by denying her access to the ballot because of her gender. In support of this claim, Leroy alleges that Robert Hogan, also a candidate in District 28, submitted a similarly defective cover sheet and BOE found that he too was ineligible for placement on the ballot. However, the allegation is that on August 11, 2009, after BOE failed to answer the required calendar call, Supreme Court entered a default order restoring his name to the ballot. Leroy submits that BOE attorneys were present at the calendar call and contends they failed to answer because Hogan is male. She also contends that Stephen Jones, another District 28 candidate, was permitted to be placed on the ballot even though BOE staff in Queens had found that he had less than 600 qualifying signatures.
The Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment directs, in essence, that similarly situated individuals be
Addressing Leroy's traditional equal protection claim first, she simply cannot establish intentional or purposeful discrimination on the part of BOE. Pointedly, her complaint proffers only a conclusory allegation of discrimination, which, "`without evidentiary support or allegations of particularized incidents, does not state a valid claim'" and so cannot withstand a motion to dismiss. Kern v. City of Rochester, 93 F.3d 38, 44 (2d Cir.1996) (quoting Butler v. Castro, 896 F.2d 698, 700 (2d Cir.1990)). There is absolutely nothing in the pleadings to suggest that Leroy's gender played any role in BOE's decision. Moreover, contrary to Leroy's contention, Hogan and Jones, the two male candidates she identified, are not similarly situated. Leroy alleges that she was treated differently from Hogan because BOE did not defend his state court proceeding. But, the record of the determination in Hogan's case, to which plaintiff refers in her amended complaint, actually shows that Hogan's validating proceeding targeted specific objections that were filed against his designating petition. (See Exhibit C to Mot. to Dismiss.) The § 16-102 proceeding brought on Hogan's behalf was, therefore, focused solely on rebutting those objections. With respect to Jones, Leroy presumably argues that he was treated differently because he was placed on the ballot and she was not. But Jones too had no cover sheet defects; objections were filed against his petition but without the requisite proof of service. (See Exhibit B to Mot. to Dismiss.) Since Leroy cannot on these allegations demonstrate purposeful discrimination against similarly situated female candidates, her equal protection claim is entirely without foundation.
The lack of similarly situated individuals also makes any "class of one" claim non-meritorious, because, to prevail on such a claim, Leroy "`must demonstrate that [she was] treated differently than someone who is prima facie identical in all relevant respects.'" Prestopnik, 249 Fed.Appx. at 213 (quoting Neilson, 409 F.3d at 104). The burden on this type of claim is somewhat higher as "the level of similarity between the plaintiff and the person(s) with whom she compares herself is `extremely high'—so high (1) that `no rational person could regard the circumstances of the plaintiff to differ from those of a comparator to a degree that would justify the differential treatment on the basis of a legitimate government policy,' and (2) that `the similarity in circumstances and difference in treatment are
Finally, plaintiff alleges that BOE violated certain federal election laws by allowing a conflict of interest to exist. Leroy's story is that her amended cover sheet was submitted by John Owens, Sr., who was serving as her campaign manager at the time. She protests that BOE permitted Owens's estranged son, John Owens, Jr., to review her petition and make determinations about her candidacy. Aside from the bald assertion that this violates federal election laws, plaintiff has alleged no facts amounting to a violation of any constitutional or statutory provision. She does not even identify what "federal voters laws" she references. In its Memorandum and Order, dated September 21, 2009, the Court cautioned that Leroy's claim was "entirely conclusory and without any support in her complaint." Yet, her amended complaint still falls miles short, notwithstanding her pro se status. In any case, the Court is unaware of any express provision of law—federal or state—that such a "conflict" would violate. The residue of this claimed conflict would be, at best, more fodder for her due process claim and, as such, would be melded with the rest of Leroy's due process objections to BOE's deprivation of ballot access. It is also melded into the Court's conclusion that BOE's action in totality did not violate Leroy's due process rights for the reasons discussed in Part III.A.
In accordance with the foregoing, BOE's motion is granted in its entirety and Leroy's claims are dismissed with prejudice pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6).
The Clerk of the Court is directed to enter judgment and to close this case.