No. 25-933

Daniel N. Arbeeny, as the Administrator for the Estate of Norman Arbeeny, et al. v. Andrew M. Cuomo, former Governor of New York, et al.

Lower Court: Second Circuit
Docketed: 2026-02-06
Status: Pending
Type: Paid
Tags: administrative-law constitutional-rights covid-directive nursing-home-deaths qualified-immunity state-actors
Latest Conference: N/A
Question Presented (from Petition)

1. How could the Second Circuit have reasonably concluded that the State Respondents Governor Cuomo and Ms. DeRosa, his Chief of Staff, could not have comprehended that the Directive would violate the Petitioners' rights when both Respondents have publicly stated that they played "no role" in the development of the Directive and had no knowledge of the lethal nursing home aspects of the Directive until April 20, 2020?

2. How could the Second Circuit have reasonably concluded that State Respondent Dr. Zucker, the Commissioner of the New York State Department of Health ("NYSDOH") could not have comprehended that the Directive would violate the Petitioners' rights when, as he admitted as part of a congressional investigation, that he had never seen the Directive until the day it was promulgated?

3. Did the State Respondents forfeit their right to assert the qualified immunity defense by engaging in conduct outside of the scope of their "official acts" in the form of delegating a government function to the private sector with no independent government input?

4. Were the hospital-related Respondents not just participants but the actual authors of the text of the March 25 Directive thereby converting themselves into "state actors" in the admitted absence of independent governmental action?

5. Whether, in light of this Court's reversal and remand to the Second Circuit in National Rifle Assoc. of Am. v. Vullo , 602 U.S. 190 (2024) with emphasis on the obligation to draw reasonable inferences in the claimant's favor at the Motion to Dismiss stage, the Second Circuit erred by not allowing discovery to proceed given the shocking factual findings already in the pleadings?

Question Presented (AI Summary)

Whether the Second Circuit erred in concluding that state officials could not have comprehended the potential rights violations in the COVID-19 nursing home transfer directive

Docket Entries

2026-02-02
Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due March 9, 2026)

Attorneys

Daniel Arbeeny, et al.
James J. ButeraMeeks, Butera & Israel, Petitioner
Michael Scott KasanoffMichael S. Kasanoff, LLC, Petitioner