Opinion ID: 519240
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The District Court Memorandum Opinion

Text: 37 The defendants moved for summary judgment on the merits as to claims one through seven of the amended complaint, i.e., the sibling household issues. As noted, they also moved for summary judgment on grounds of mootness and lack of standing. Neither party moved for summary judgment on the merits of the Class B claim. Therefore, in the absence of affidavits, answers to interrogatories, depositions or other evidence, see Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c), the order dismissing the Class B claims appears in substance to be a dismissal pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6). 38 In granting defendants' motions as to the sibling rule claim, the district court found the sibling household issue to be directly controlled by the United States Supreme Court's decision in Lyng v. Castillo, 477 U.S. 635, 106 S.Ct. 2727, 91 L.Ed.2d 527 (1986). In that case, the Supreme Court held constitutional the statutory distinction, embodied in the 1981 and 1982 amendments to the Food Stamp Act, between (1) parents, children and siblings and (2) all other groups of individuals. Id. at 639, 106 S.Ct. at 2730. As we have explained, the issue is more complex, hence the court erred in finding Castillo dispositive. 39 With regard to plaintiffs' third party verification claims, the district court stated that the individual claims presented were capable of being handled through the administrative hearing process. The court therefore held that plaintiffs' third party allegations failed to state a due process claim and dismissed them, apparently pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6). See supra at 210 n. 9. However, the district court did not address plaintiffs' claim that, notwithstanding the legality of the applicable regulations, the DPW is engaged in a pattern and practice of not complying with those regulations. 40 In addition to dismissing the sibling rule and third party verification claims, the district court denied plaintiffs' motion for class certification. The district court also denied plaintiffs' motion for leave to file a second amended complaint (which would have added plaintiffs Annie Alvin and Gloria Pope) on various procedural grounds. See supra at 210 n. 9. Finally, the court granted summary judgment for defendants on plaintiffs' claim that defendants violated their due process rights by failing to send notices regarding food stamps to the head of each family within an agglomerated food stamp household, essentially without explanation.