Opinion ID: 176944
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The parents' claims against NMPED were ripe.

Text: NMPED argues in its cross appeal that the parents' claims were unripe. It notes that, since the parents filed their complaint a mere 30 days after the AAO issued its decision, Tularosa still had a reasonable time to comply with the AAO's order and thus any supervisory duties NMPED owed to M.C. had not yet been triggered. NMPED further argues that it breached no duty to the parents at the time they filed their complaint because NMPED had no obligation to directly provide M.C. a FAPE. [4] To evaluate whether an issue is ripe, a court examines: (1) the fitness of the issue for judicial resolution and (2) the hardship to the parties of withholding judicial consideration. United States v. Wilson, 244 F.3d 1208, 1213 (10th Cir.2001). A case meets the first prong if it does not involve uncertain or contingent events that may not occur at all (or may not occur as anticipated). See New Mexicans for Bill Richardson v. Gonzales, 64 F.3d 1495, 1499 (10th Cir. 1995) (internal citations omitted). The second prong addresses whether the challenged action is a direct and immediate dilemma for the parties. Id. at 1499 (internal quotations omitted). The ripeness question is primarily one of timing. See Kan. Judicial Rev. v. Stout, 519 F.3d 1107, 1116 (10th Cir.2008); New Mexicans for Bill Richardson, 64 F.3d at 1499. As with its arguments regarding exhaustion, NMPED uses its ripeness arguments to restate its contention, addressed more fully below, that NMPED had no obligation to provide M.C. with a FAPE directly, which is a separate, merits-based question. While challenges to NMPED's enforcement of the order against Tularosa might have been speculative given that Tularosa had little time to comply with the order, claims related to NMPED's failure to provide direct educational services to M.C. were developed at the point the parents filed suit because M.C. had been denied 18 months of a FAPE, and NMPED arguably knew that M.C. was not receiving any educational services in New Mexico. Withholding judicial review would deprive the parents of a potentially available remedy. Their claims were ripe when filed in the district court.