Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-azd-4_08-cv-00131/USCOURTS-azd-4_08-cv-00131-1/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 863
Nature of Suit: Social Security - DIWC/DIWW (405(g))
Cause of Action: 42:405 Review of HHS Decision (DIWC)

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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA

Leslie R. Hess, 

Plaintiff, 

vs.

Michael J. Astrue, 

Defendant. 

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No. CV 08-131-TUC-FRZ

ORDER

Pending before the Court is Magistrate Judge Guerin’s Report and Recommendation. For

the reasons stated below, the Report and Recommendation is accepted and adopted.

The Court reviews de novo the objected-to portions of the Report and Recommendation.

28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1); Fed. R. Civ. P. 72(b). The Court reviews for clear error the

unobjected-to portions of the Report and Recommendation. Johnson v. Zema Systems Corp.,

170 F.3d 734, 739 (7th Cir. 1999); see also Conley v. Crabtree, 14 F. Supp. 2d 1203, 1204

(D. Or. 1998).

As the Report and Recommendation throughly discusses the relevant facts and law in

reaching the proper decision in this case, the Court will not repeat that discussion. Magistrate

Judge Guerin recommends granting the Government’s motion to dismiss the case as it is

undisputed that Plaintiff filed an appeal of the final decision of the Social Security

Administration outside of the applicable 60 day statute of limitations. Plaintiff generally

objects to the Report and Recommendation as he argues that equitable tolling should be

Case 4:08-cv-00131-FRZ-JCG Document 21 Filed 08/14/09 Page 1 of 2
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allowed to excuse the untimely appeal as the appeal was only one day late, that the

Government would not be prejudiced by allowing the appeal, and that the Social Security

Administration itself took an exorbitant amount of time to actually issue their final decision

in relation to the underlying administrative proceedings. Nonetheless, as the Report and

Recommendation points out, these circumstances are insufficient to excuse the untimely

appeal as equitable tolling only applies in extraordinary circumstances. There is an

abundance of case law cited in the Report and Recommendation reflecting that a garden

variety miscalculation of an appeal deadline by an attorney, which are the circumstances in

this case, does not trigger equitable tolling. While disallowing the appeal certainly seems

harsh as the appeal was only one day late, the law unfortunately is not on Plaintiff’s side in

regards to equitable tolling, and Plaintiff cites no authority showing that equitable tolling

applies under the circumstances in this case. Plaintiff’s objection is denied.

Accordingly, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED as follows:

(1) Magistrate Judge Guerin’s Report and Recommendation (Doc. #19) is accepted and

adopted.

(2) The Government’s motion to dismiss (Doc. #13) is granted.

(3) This case is dismissed and the Clerk of the Court shall enter judgment accordingly

and close the file in this case.

DATED this 13th day of August, 2009.

Case 4:08-cv-00131-FRZ-JCG Document 21 Filed 08/14/09 Page 2 of 2