Opinion ID: 2960205
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Motion for dismissal under 12(b)(6)

Text: “Although the district court erroneously dismissed the action pursuant to Rule 12(b)(1), we could nonetheless affirm the dismissal if dismissal were otherwise proper based on failure to state a claim under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6).” EEOC v. St. Francis Xavier Parochial Sch., 117 F.3d 621, 624 (D.C. Cir. 1997); see also Triestman v. Fed. Bureau of Prisons, 470 F.3d 471, 476 (2d Cir. 2006) (determining that district court’s Rule 12(b)(1) dismissal was erroneous, then holding that dismissal under Rule 12(b)(6) would have been erroneous too); Adeleke v. United States, 355 F.3d 144, 147 (2d Cir. 2004) (reviewing court may affirm district court decision on any ground in the record). The Director asks us to so proceed because “the Court should reject Sharkey’s attempt to spin a grant of lawful permanent resident status out of what was, at most, an INS officer’s mistake” in placing a Temporary I-551 stamp on her passport. In order to state a claim upon which relief can be granted, a complaint need only plead “enough facts to state a claim for relief that is plausible on its face.” Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 1974 (2007). We continue to assume the truth of Sharkey’s allegations, including her allegation that the immigration officer decided to adjust her status and her allegation that her adjustment application and her husband’s I-130 petition were filed 24 concurrently. The Director argues that rescission hearings were unnecessary because, as a matter of law, regardless of the immigration officer’s decision, Sharkey’s status could not have been adjusted to LPR since Sharkey was not eligible for that status. Specifically, the Director argues that Sharkey, as an alien who entered the country unlawfully, was not eligible for LPR status unless and until her husband’s Alien Relative petition (Form I-130) was approved. See 8 U.S.C. §§ 1255(i)(1)(B)(i) & (i)(2)(B). The Director argues, further, that the record evidence establishes that the I-130 petition was not approved, since the form contains no approval stamp in the “action stamp” block. Thus, according to the Director, even if the immigration official reviewing Sharkey’s case decided to adjust her status, Sharkey’s ineligibility for that status rendered the decision invalid ab initio. This argument is unavailing at this stage of the litigation for two reasons. First, Sharkey points out that the action block in the Form I-130 contains writing that has been crossed out and made illegible. She argues that this suggests that the petitions were initially approved, but that the evidence of their approval was later crossed out. She has asked for discovery on these issues.15 The crossed-out inscriptions create a factual issue, which it would be 15 In response to the Director’s motions for dismissal under 12(b)(1) and summary judgment, Sharkey asked for limited discovery from the immigration officials involved in her case to explain whether the petitions were initially granted and, if so, when and why the approval was rescinded; she also sought an affidavit from DAO Kinosewitz to explain the placement of the I-551 stamp on her passport. In a suit under the APA, discovery rights are significantly limited. The respondent agency must turn over the whole administrative record as it existed at the time of the challenged agency action, but normally no more. See Citizens to Preseve Overton Park, Inc. v. Volpe, 401 U.S. 402, 419-20 (1971), abrogated on other grounds, Califano v. Sanders, 430 U.S. 99 (1977); see also Fl. Power & Light Co. v. Lorion, 470 U.S. 729, 744 (1985) (“The APA specifically contemplates judicial review on the basis of the agency record compiled in the course of informal agency action in which a hearing has not occurred.”). However, there is 25 inappropriate to resolve in dismissing an action under Rule 12(b)(6). See Bell Atlantic Corp., 127 S.Ct. at 1965 (“Rule 12(b)(6) does not countenance . . . dismissals based on a judge’s disbelief of a complaint’s factual allegations.” (quoting Neitzke v. Williams, 490 U.S. 319, 327 (1989))). Second, and more important, the Director’s argument proves too much. According to the Director, there is no need for a rescission hearing in any case where the alien was not in fact eligible for the adjustment. The proffered reason is that, if the alien was not eligible for the adjustment, no adjustment could have been made as a matter of law, and, therefore, there was no legally conferred status to rescind. If this were correct, the rescission statute and regulation would be nullities, because, together, they call for a rescission hearing, within five years,16 in precisely those circumstances in which the Director contends no hearing is necessary: i.e., when the alien was “not in fact eligible” for the adjustment, see 8 U.S.C. § 1256(a); 8 C.F.R. § 246.1 (“[A rescission] proceeding shall be commenced” when it appears to the Director that the alien “was not in fact eligible for adjustment of status.” (emphases added)). In effect, the Director seeks to avoid rescission hearings by asserting the very fact (i.e., the alien’s ineligibility) that the agency is required to prove during a rescission hearing, see Kim v. Meese, 810 F.2d 1494, 1496 (9th Cir. 1987) (during a rescission hearing, the agency must prove that the alien was “ineligible an exception whereby “the court may require the administrative officials who participated in the decision to give testimony explaining their action” when this is “the only way there can be effective judicial review.” Overton Park, 401 U.S. at 420. In any event, where, as here, the agency may have the burden to produce countervailing evidence, see 8 C.F.R. § 103.2(b)(17), the agency’s failure to produce evidence may be counted against the agency. 16 See Zaoutis v. Kiley, 558 F.2d 1096, 1100 (2d Cir. 1977) (“If . . . no notice to rescind is filed within the five-year period, the alien may justifiably rely on his adjusted status.”). 26 for adjustment of status”). This would allow the Director to avoid rescission hearings in every case. We cannot accept the Director’s interpretation of the statute and the regulation, which would render them nullities.17 For these reasons, we conclude that Sharkey’s complaint states two APA claims upon which relief can be granted. However, because Sharkey’s claims for mandamus duplicate her claims under the APA, and because we hold that Sharkey’s APA claims survive the Director’s 12(b)(1) and 12(b)(6) motions to dismiss, we affirm the district court’s dismissal of the mandamus claims on the alternative ground that there is another “adequate remedy available.” See Anderson v. Bowen, 881 F.2d 1, 5 (2d Cir.1989). Finally, the Director asks us to grant its motion for summary judgment. Because there are outstanding factual disputes, and following the sound practice of not adjudicating a summary judgment motion in the first instance, we decline to do so. See Atl. States Legal Found., Inc. v. Pan Am. Tanning Corp., 993 F.2d 1017, 1022 (2d. Cir. 1993).