Close v. State of N.Y.
| Decision Date | 04 September 1997 |
| Docket Number | D,No. 1248,1248 |
| Citation | 125 F.3d 31 |
| Parties | 134 Lab.Cas. P 33,580, 4 Wage & Hour Cas.2d (BNA) 108 James Edwin CLOSE, James R. Collins, Lawrence G. Clare, William G. Hastback, Richard T. Lepkowski, Patricia E. O'Connor, James V. Bradley, Gerard C. Letendre, Edward Woltmann, Gerard E. Black, Ruben F. Enriquez, Robert C. Knizek, Karen C. Ore, Vincent Rapacciuolo, William Toffenetti, Joshua Weiss, Edgar J. Robinson, Elton Jay Dietrich, Nicholas Adams, Charles Antzak, Thomas A. Atlas, Matthew Bewtiuegna, Michael J. Berman, Raymond Bordoni, Wayne G. Borek, Charles R. Bradley, Jr., John J. Calagna, Albert Caronia, Ronald M. Cerniglia, Thomas O. Carey, Stephen Cohen, William F. Coleman, Leo T. Connolly, Carl Cornelius, Michael T. Cotton, Robert L. Covel, Donald F. Darmer, Vijaya Deshpande, Kathleen R. Dick, Michael E. Doody, John J. Dowling, Nathan Erlbaum, James Evensen, Roy Fuller, Jerome L. Gershenson, Daniel D. Gottlieb, L. Daniel Gorritz, Patricia Grabianowski, David N. Green, Paul R. Greenfield, Ben Grey, Robert Hansen, William C. Heilmann, Eric R. Heim, Mary Iandiorio, Robert H. Jones, Michael J. Kanuk, Neville Kerr, Frank A. Klinowski, Jeffrey W. Kimmer, Melisande Kopp, Richard J. Kotecki, Nancy A. Kunz, Roseanne S. Krytak, Sandra Liburd, Sue M. Malatesta, Ralph A. Marcucio, John E. Marsden, Peter J. Martinelli, John Mason, Matthew Mazzamurro, Paul E. McAnany, Walter F. McGuire, Mary E. McIntosh, Daryll K. Messner, Lillian M. Milne, Frank Montemarano, Stephen J. Moore, C. Kelley Morgan, Eileen M. O'Brien, Hugh D. O'Rourke, Ronald C. Palumbo, Walter J. Parish, Anthony M. Piscitelli, Paul Polansky, James Quinn, Amparo B. Quizon, Theodore M. Raab, Gideon Rabino, Edward Ratowsky, Richard A. Rink, Don E. Russell, Celia M. Sagullo, Adolfo Santiago, Ann B. Sartoris, Judith L. Schoonover, Jeffrey A. Schulkind, Ralph Schwartz, James W. Sefren, Owen P. Shevlin, Jr., Leonard Siegel, Robert P. Snyder, Sr., Larry A. Solomon, Charles Subelka, Koon S. Tang, Sajni M. Thadani, MaryEllen Tobin, Wayne R. Ugolk, Quentin G. Vanno |
| Court | U.S. Court of Appeals — Second Circuit |
Lisa M. King, Albany, New York (William P. Seamon, Albany, NY, of counsel), for Plaintiffs-Appellants.
Daniel Smirlock, Assistant Attorney General, Albany, NY (Dennis C. Vacco, Attorney General, Peter H. Schiff, Deputy Solicitor General, Nancy A. Spiegel, Assistant Attorney General, Albany, NY, on brief), for Defendant-Appellee.
Before: OAKES, ALTIMARI and JACOBS, Circuit Judges.
Plaintiffs-appellants appeal from an order entered on August 19, 1996 in the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York (McAvoy, J.) dismissing plaintiffs-appellants' claims for lack of subject matter jurisdiction pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(1).
Today, we join our sister circuits in considering: (1) whether after the Supreme Court's decision in Seminole, Congress may abrogate the States' Eleventh Amendment sovereign immunity under the Interstate Commerce Clause; and (2) whether States waive their sovereign immunity by acting outside the sphere of state sovereignty. We find the answer to both is negative and, accordingly, affirm the district court, dismissing this action for lack of subject matter jurisdiction.
Plaintiffs-appellants are 404 employees (the "Employees") of defendant-appellee State of New York ("New York" or the "State") who allege that the State failed to pay overtime compensation in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act (the "FLSA"). 29 U.S.C. §§ 201-219 (1978).
In July 1994, the Employees commenced this action seeking recovery of unpaid overtime compensation, liquidated damages, and reasonable attorneys' fees from New York pursuant to the FLSA. 29 U.S.C. § 216(b). In February 1996, the Employees moved for partial summary judgment on the issue of liability and New York cross-moved for summary judgment in full, contending, inter alia, that the Eleventh Amendment guarantee of The district court initially denied the State's cross-motion for sovereign immunity, holding that the State of New York violated the FLSA and is liable for overtime compensation to certain "qualifying" plaintiffs. See Close v. New York, No. 94-CV-0906, 1996 WL 67979 (N.D.N.Y. Feb. 13, 1996) ("Close I"). In denying the State's motion, the district court relied on Reich v. New York, 3 F.3d 581, 591 (2d Cir.1993) (). See Close I, 1996 WL 67979, at * 9.
state sovereign immunity deprived ...
To continue reading
Request your trial
-
Velasquez v. Frapwell
... ... presented here is whether the Eleventh Amendment to the United States Constitution bars a State employee from suing a State in federal court for violating the USERRA. The court concludes that the ... plaintiff's USERRA claim for lack of jurisdiction under the Eleventh Amendment); see also Close v. State of New York, 125 F.3d 31, 38 (2d Cir.1997) ( Seminole Tribe applies to all Article I ... ...
-
Garrett v. Univ. Alabama
... ... state agencies on the ground of sovereign immunity. They raise the question that is being litigated in ... power, were confirmed in our earliest cases on the Fourteenth Amendment," and further (2) "[a]ny suggestion that Congress has a substantive, non-remedial power under the Fourteenth Amendment is ... clear intent to abrogate the States' sovereign immunity by allowing suit in federal courts." Close v. State of New York, 125 F.3d 31, 36 (2d Cir. 1997). Therefore, when taken in conjunction with the ... ...
-
Tandon v. Captain's Cove Marina of Bridgeport, Inc.
... ... According to the state court complaint filed by Genna, on the other hand, the Up and Over followed in hot pursuit of the ... ” Close v. New York, 125 F.3d 31, 35 (2d Cir.1997). In resolving a motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(1), ... § 1333(1), which gives federal district courts original jurisdiction over “[a]ny civil case of admiralty or maritime jurisdiction.” See Vasquez v. GMD Shipyard Corp., 582 F.3d ... ...
-
Perdue v. City University of New York
... ... Dennis C. Vacco, Attorney General of the State of New York by Jeanne Lahiff, Assistant Attorney General, New York City, for defendants ... I. CUNY'S MOTION FOR JUDGMENT AS A MATTER OF LAW ... At the close of Perdue's case, CUNY moved for judgment as a matter of law pursuant to Rule 50(a) of the Federal ... ...