Case Name: Deborah COLBETH, on behalf of herself and all others similarly situated, Plaintiffs-Appellants, v. James O'ROURKE, in his official capacity as Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Social Welfare, Defendant-Appellee
Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
Jurisdiction: United States
Decision Date: 1983-05-09
Citations: 707 F.2d 57
Docket Number: No. 1214, Docket 83-7053
Parties: Deborah COLBETH, on behalf of herself and all others similarly situated, Plaintiffs-Appellants, v. James O’ROURKE, in his official capacity as Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Social Welfare, DefendantAppellee.
Judges: Before KAUFMAN and VAN GRAAF-EILAND, Circuit Judges, and MISHLER, District Judge.
Reporter: Federal Reporter 2d Series
Volume: 707
Pages: 57–57

Head Matter:
Deborah COLBETH, on behalf of herself and all others similarly situated, Plaintiffs-Appellants, v. James O’ROURKE, in his official capacity as Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Social Welfare, DefendantAppellee.
No. 1214, Docket 83-7053.
United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit.
Argued May 5, 1983.
Decided May 9, 1983.
John H. Hasen, Rutland, Vt. (John D. Shullenberger, Vermont Legal Aid, Inc., Burlington, Vt., of counsel), for plaintiffs-appellants.
Geoffrey A. Yudien, Asst. Atty. Gen., Waterbury, Vt. (John J. Easton, Jr., Atty. Gen., Michael 0. McShane, Asst. Atty. Gen., Montpelier, Vt., of counsel), for defendantappellee.
Before KAUFMAN and VAN GRAAF-EILAND, Circuit Judges, and MISHLER, District Judge.
Of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, sitting by designation.

Opinion:
PER CURIAM:
Class representative Deborah Colbeth appeals from a judgment entered on Judge Coffrin's order granting summary judgment in a case seeking retroactive payment of food stamp benefits. 554 F.Supp. 539 (D.Vt.1982). The district court concluded Colbeth's claim was barred by the eleventh amendment, which prohibits an action in federal court seeking retrospective relief against a State. We find appellants' claims of error to be without merit, and affirm the judgment for the reasons stated in Judge Coffrin's opinion.