The group that filed a lawsuit last year accusing five Queens judges of being biased against borough residents applying for Social Security disability benefits recently presented oral arguments before the judge who will decide whether or not to grant the federal government’s request to dismiss the case.
“It went really well,” said Emilia Sicilia, a senior attorney at the Urban Justice Center, which, along with the law firm of Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher filed the suit in Federal District Court in Brooklyn in April. “It was very clear the judge is taking the case really seriously. She has not issued a decision, but she expressed serious concerns with the defendants.”
The plaintiffs in the case are 40- and 50-year-olds from Ozone Park, South Ozone Park, Elmhurst, Richmond Hill and Sunnyside who suffer from medical conditions that keep them from being able to hold jobs. Attorneys have said they have not received fair hearings and the judges are often “hostile” and “belligerent.”
The Social Security Administration will not comment on the case. Sicilia said she believes the judge is hoping the case will settle. A settlement could potentially include rehearings for the individuals and retrainings for the judges.
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