Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_05-cv-04696/USCOURTS-cand-3_05-cv-04696-6/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 440
Nature of Suit: Other Civil Rights
Cause of Action: 29:0794 Job Discrimination (Handicap)

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JOINT STATUS CONFERENCE STATEMENT, CASE NO. C 05-4696 MJJ 

WONDIE RUSSELL (Bar No. 77990) 

CATHERINE P. ROSEN (Bar No. 62562) 

PETER J. CROSBY (Bar No. 115588) 

HELLER EHRMAN LLP 

333 Bush Street 

San Francisco, CA 94104 

Telephone: +1.415.772.6000 

Facsimile: +1.415.772.6268 

Wondie.Russell@hellerehrman.com 

ARLENE MAYERSON (Bar No. 79310) 

LARISA M. CUMMINGS (Bar No. 131076) 

SILVIA YEE (Bar No. 222737) 

DISABILITY RIGHTS EDUCATION AND DEFENSE FUND 

2212 Sixth Street 

Berkeley, CA 94710 

Telephone: +1.510.644.2555 

Facsimile: +1.510.841.8645 

lcummings@dredf.org 

See Signature Page for List of Additional Counsel 

Attorneys for Plaintiffs 

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

SAN FRANCISCO DIVISION 

AMERICAN COUNCIL OF THE BLIND, a 

District of Columbia non-profit corporation, 

TAMMY RENEE COOPER, SCARLETT 

MILES, MARVELENA QUESADA, ARLENE 

DOHERTY, ALICE MARJORIE DONOVAN, 

BILLIE JEAN KEITH, GEORGE P. SMITH, and 

DOROTHY JACKSON on behalf of themselves 

and all others similarly situated, 

Plaintiffs, 

 v. 

MICHAEL ASTRUE, Commissioner of the 

Social Security Administration, in her official 

capacity, and SOCIAL SECURITY 

ADMINISTRATION 

Defendants. 

Case No.: C 05-4696 MJJ 

CLASS ACTION

JOINT STATUS REPORT 

Date: May 15, 2007 

Time: 2:00 P.M. 

Courtroom: 11 

The Honorable Martin J. Jenkins

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JOINT STATUS CONFERENCE STATEMENT, CASE NO. C 05-4696 MJJ 

Plaintiffs, American Council of the Blind, et al., and Defendants Michael 

Astrue, Commissioner of the Social Security Administration, in his official capacity, 

and Social Security Administration, in accordance with this Court’s Order of 

February 27, 2007 ordering a Status Conference on May 15, 2007, hereby jointly 

advise the Court about the status of this case. 

A. DESCRIPTION OF THE CASE 

1. Description of the Events Underlying the Action 

a. Plaintiffs’ Description

The Social Security Administration (“SSA”) regularly communicates with 

plaintiffs, and the millions of blind and visually impaired Americans like them who 

are entitled to and rely on SSA benefits to meet their basic needs, in standard print 

format which they cannot read. Under existing procedures, SSA routinely 

suspends, terminates or reduces their benefits for failing to comply with 

requirements set forth in standard print documents that they cannot read, for failing 

to appear at appointments set forth in standard print documents that they cannot 

read, and for failing to return standard printed forms that they cannot read and 

complete in the format provided. The notices suspending or reducing benefits 

contain information on how and when to appeal the adverse determination, but 

provide this information in standard print format only which is entirely inaccessible 

to plaintiffs. To the extent that defendants represent that they provide telephonic 

notice upon request, plaintiffs aver that this option is inadequate and neither 

uniformly disclosed nor provided. This litigation seeks to rectify these practices by 

requiring SSA to comply with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and 

federal regulations mandating effective communication by reasonably 

accommodating blind and visually impaired persons and communicating with them 

in accessible format to ensure they have an equal opportunity to participate in and 

enjoy the benefits of SSA programs. 

 

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JOINT STATUS CONFERENCE STATEMENT, CASE NO. C 05-4696 MJJ 

b. Defendants’ Description

SSA administers massive federal benefits programs to millions of Americans, 

including blind and visually impaired individuals. Pursuant to statutory direction, 

SSA provides individuals applying for or receiving benefits under its Title II, Title 

XVI, Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit, and Special Veterans Benefits 

programs on the basis of blindness with a choice of how to receive notices of any 

decisions or determinations made, or other action taken or proposed to be taken 

with respect to their rights under those programs. These options include sending 

the notice by first class mail followed up by telephoning the individual to read aloud 

the contents of the notice. If the individual selects this option, SSA will assist the 

individual in completing a request for reconsideration over the telephone in the 

event s/he disagrees with the notice. In addition, upon request, SSA will read aloud 

to any program participant any notice as many times and as often as the individual 

asks. SSA’s accommodations are reasonable and enable it to communicate 

effectively with its blind and visually impaired applicants and beneficiaries. 

2. Principal Factual Issues in Dispute 

The principal factual issues in dispute involve what are the appropriate 

means of communicating with blind and visually impaired persons in accessible 

format, and what are the current communication practices, policies and procedures 

of the SSA, including its local offices as well as centralized operations, and what 

are the administrative and financial burdens that SSA will bear if required to modify 

its methods of communicating with blind and visually impaired individuals. 

3. Principal Legal Issues in Dispute 

(1) Whether this Court has subject matter jurisdiction over this case. (2) 

What are the legal requirements regarding SSA’s obligations to accommodate blind 

and visually impaired persons by communicating with them in accessible format. 

a. Plaintiff’s Statement of Legal Issues in Dispute 

The principal legal issues presented are (1) whether Defendants’ refusal to 

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JOINT STATUS CONFERENCE STATEMENT, CASE NO. C 05-4696 MJJ 

offer or provide class members with communications in accessible formats bars 

their equal participation in SSA benefits programs in violation of Section 504 of the 

Rehabilitation Act of 1973; and (2) whether Defendants’ policy of denying, reducing, 

suspending or terminating the class members’ SSA benefits based solely upon 

standard print notices violates the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment to 

the Constitution. 

b. Defendants’ Statement of Legal Issues in Dispute 

Defendants dispute subject matter jurisdiction, on the grounds that Plaintiffs’ 

claims can only be brought under 42 U.S.C. § 405(g), a jurisdictional basis which 

Plaintiffs did not plead in their First Amended Complaint. Defendants also contend 

that their Congressionally mandated special notice policy delineates the scope of 

their notice obligations under the Rehabilitation Act, and accordingly that Plaintiffs 

fail to state a claim for relief under the Rehabilitation Act. Finally, Defendants 

assert that Plaintiffs also fail to state a claim for relief under the Due Process 

Clause of the Fifth Amendment, as their current notice policy is reasonably 

calculated to provide notice. Defendants therefore filed a motion to dismiss 

pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(1), and a motion to dismiss pursuant to Fed. R. 

Civ. P. 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. 

After these motions to dismiss were fully briefed, the parties began to explore 

the potential to resolve this lawsuit without further litigation. To allow the parties 

time to exchange and digest significant substantive information so that proposals 

could be made and considered, defendants withdrew their motions without 

prejudice with the understanding that if an amicable resolution were not achieved, 

they would re-notice and re-instate their motions for hearing by the Court. 

B. PARTIES’ EFFORTS TO ACHIEVE RESOLUTION 

As the parties have previously advised the Court, in October 2006 the parties 

started exploring the feasibility of entering settlement negotiations. Defendants 

began to provide information to plaintiffs about the Social Security Administration’s 

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JOINT STATUS CONFERENCE STATEMENT, CASE NO. C 05-4696 MJJ 

systems and technologies for communicating with applicants, recipients and 

beneficiaries of Social Security benefits. The parties have continued to exchange 

information and employees primarily from defendants’ systems and operations 

components have continued to answer plaintiffs’ questions and provide additional 

information concerning the systems, technologies, and operational processes 

pursuant to which SSA communicates with applicants, recipients and beneficiaries. 

The parties also identified operational and technological obstacles to providing 

notices in various alternative accessible formats and discussed potential ways to 

overcome these hurdles during the course of several telephone conferences. 

Since at least January 2007, the parties have been discussing the possibilities of a 

consensual resolution of this case. Another telephone conference took place on 

March 6, 2007, at which time the parties exchanged further systems and operations 

related information. On April 2, 2007 counsel conferred by telephone to confirm 

that the parties were committed to negotiating and making proposals that will 

satisfy all concerned. Towards that end, plaintiffs have recently presented 

defendant with a proposal addressing some of the concerns raised in the parties’ 

prior communications, and the parties are currently arranging for test conversions 

of notices to various alternative formats to ascertain the technological, operational, 

and financial limitations in so doing. No in-person meetings have occurred as yet. 

The parties remain committed to a good faith effort at resolving the issues 

presented by plaintiffs through negotiation. 

C. CASE SCHEDULE 

Unless the Court wishes to hear further from the parties in person, the parties 

request that the Court remove the Status Conference scheduled for May 15, 2007 

from the calendar and schedule a further Status Conference in approximately three 

(3) months time so that the parties may report their progress and together schedule 

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JOINT STATUS CONFERENCE STATEMENT, CASE NO. C 05-4696 MJJ 

any appropriate further dates, such as dates for a Settlement or Case Management 

Conference and/or hearings on Defendants’ motions to dismiss. 

Respectfully submitted, 

DATED: April 30, 2007 HELLER EHRMAN LLP 

DISABILITY RIGHTS EDUCATION AND 

DEFENSE FUND 

By____/s/ Wondie Russell____________

WONDIE RUSSELL 

Attorneys For Plaintiffs 

Additional Co-Counsel for Plaintiffs: 

GERALD A. MCINTYRE (Bar No. 181746) 

JEANNE FINBERG (Bar No. 88333) 

NATIONAL SENIOR CITIZENS LAW CENTER 

3435 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 2860 

Los Angeles, CA 90010 

Telephone: +1.213.639.0930 

Facsimile: +1.213.639.0934 

gmcintyre@nsclc.org 

KATHLEEN L. WILDE (Oregon Bar No. 97105) (Admitted Pro Hac Vice) 

OREGON ADVOCACY CENTER 

620 SW Fifth Avenue, Fifth Floor 

Portland, OR 97204 

Telephone: +1.503.243.2081 

Facsimile: +1.503.243.1738 

kwilde@oradvocacy.org 

DATED: April 30, 2007 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE 

Civil Division, Federal Programs Branch 

By ____/s/ Tara M.Lamorte____________

PETER D. KEISLER 

RICHARD G. LEPLEY 

TARA M. LAMORTE 

Attorneys for Defendants

Case 3:05-cv-04696-MJJ Document 47 Filed 04/30/2007 Page 6 of 6

THE MAY 15, 2007 STATUS 

CONFERENCE IS CONTIN. 

TO 8/7/07 AT 2:00 P.M. 

A JOINT STMT. FROM THE 

PARTIES IS DUE 10 (TEN) 

DAYS PRIOR TO THE 

CONFERENCE.

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORN

I

A

IT IS SO ORDERED

Judge Martin J. Jenkins

Dated: 5/14/2007

Case 3:05-cv-04696-WHA Document 48 Filed 05/14/07 Page 6 of 6