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JONES v. NATIONAL RAILROAD PASSENGER CORPORATION AMTRAK (2021)

United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit.2021-05-18No. No. 20-15279

Summary

Holding. The court affirmed the grant of summary judgment dismissing Jones's claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act, Rehabilitation Act, and Unruh Act, but reversed the grant of summary judgment on her negligence claim and remanded for trial.

Amanda Jones appealed after the trial court granted summary judgment dismissing her claims against Amtrak and a transit district for injuries she sustained when her motorized scooter tipped over during a bus ride. Jones brought claims under federal disability laws (the Americans with Disabilities Act and Rehabilitation Act), California's anti-discrimination statute, and common law negligence, alleging the bus driver lacked proper training for transporting passengers using mobility devices.

The appellate court upheld the dismissal of Jones's disability and anti-discrimination claims. The court found that the defendants had established a comprehensive annual training program for bus drivers on safe scooter transportation, including proper securement procedures and protocols for handling complications. A single instance of a driver failing to follow that training, the court reasoned, does not demonstrate intentional discrimination or deliberate indifference required to win damages under federal disability law. The court also rejected Jones's requests for court orders declaring the defendants violated the law or requiring them to change their practices, finding such relief inappropriate given the isolated nature of the incident.

However, the court reversed the summary judgment on Jones's negligence claim. Her own testimony that the driver improperly secured her scooter and then drove at unsafe speeds, causing it to tip and injure her, was sufficient to create a factual dispute about whether the driver breached his duty to safely transport her. The case was remanded for further proceedings on the negligence claim.

Summary generated by law.co from the public-domain opinion. The opinion text itself is public domain.

Key issues

  • Whether a single instance of employee negligence in implementing training demonstrates intentional discrimination or deliberate indifference under disability laws
  • Whether Jones established a genuine dispute of material fact regarding breach of the duty to safely transport passengers with mobility devices

Procedural posture

Jones appealed the grant of summary judgment to defendants on her statutory and common law claims arising from injuries sustained when her motorized scooter tipped during a bus ride.

Authorities cited

No cited authorities resolved to law.co cases yet.

Opinion

MEMORANDUM **

Plaintiff Amanda Jones appeals the grant of summary judgment to Defendants Amtrak and Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District (“SCMTD”) on her statutory claims under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), § 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (“Rehab Act”), and Californias Unruh Act, Cal. Civ. Code § 51, and on her negligence claims. We have jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291, and we affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand.

We review de novo a grant of summary judgment to determine whether there are any genuine issues of material fact and whether there are any misapplications of substantive law. Nigro v. Sears, Roebuck & Co., 784 F.3d 495, 497 (9th Cir. 2015).

1. ADA, Rehab Act, and Unruh Act Claims

Jones seeks compensatory damages, declaratory relief, and injunctive relief under the ADA, Rehab Act, and Unruh Act because, she alleges, Defendants’ bus driver was not properly trained on how to safely transport persons with disabilities using scooters, which resulted in her scooter tipping and subsequent injuries.

We analyze claims under both the ADA and Rehab Act in the same way. Zukle v. Regents of the Univ. of Cal., 166 F.3d 1041, 1045 n.11 (9th Cir. 1999). To obtain compensatory damages under either Title II of the ADA or § 504 of the Rehab Act, Jones must establish intentional discrimination, which requires showing that Defendants acted with deliberate indifference: “knowledge that a harm to a federally protected right is substantially likely, and a failure to act upon that likelihood.” Updike v. Multnomah, 870 F.3d 939, 950–51 (9th Cir. 2017) (internal citations, quotations, and alterations omitted).

Joness claims for compensatory damages under the ADA and Rehab Act fail because the record indicates that SCMTD trains its bus drivers annually on how to safely transport disabled persons, including those using three-wheeled scooters. SCMTD instructs its bus drivers to (1) ask scooter users to transfer to a seat due to scooter stability risks, (2) assist scooter users in securing their devices with specialized equipment, and (3) call dispatch when trouble with securement arises. The bus driver here confirmed that he received such training. The bus drivers failure on this occasion to properly implement his training does not establish that Defendants violated the ADA, Midgett v. Tri-Cty. Metro. Transp. Dist. of Oregon, 254 F.3d 846, 850 (9th Cir. 2001), let alone acted with deliberate indifference in training their bus drivers on safely transporting persons with disabilities, namely those using scooters.

And, for the same reasons, Jones is not entitled, under the ADA or Rehab Act, to declaratory relief, Greater L.A. Council on Deafness v. Zolin, 812 F.2d 1103, 1112 (9th Cir. 1987) (denying declaratory relief when it will not settle the ongoing legal relations at issue), or injunctive relief, Updike, 870 F.3d at 948 (denying injunctive relief when the threat of recurring injury remains speculative).

Because Jones cannot show that Defendants violated their duty to train under the ADA based on one isolated instance of employee negligence, see Midgett, 254 F.3d at 850, she has also failed to demonstrate entitlement to relief under the Unruh Act, see Cohen v. City of Culver City, 754 F.3d 690, 701 (9th Cir. 2014). Thus, we affirm the grant of summary judgment in favor of Defendants on Joness claims under the ADA, Rehab Act, and Unruh Act.

2. Negligence Claims

Jones alleges that Defendants are liable in tort because their bus drivers negligent scooter securement and vehicle operation caused her injuries. To establish negligence, a party must prove “a legal duty to use due care, a breach of such legal duty, and the breach as the proximate or legal cause of the resulting injury.” Vasilenko v. Grace Family Church, 224 Cal.Rptr.3d 846, 404 P.3d 1196, 1198 (2017) (internal citations and quotations omitted). Joness declaration and deposition testimony were sufficient to establish a genuine dispute of material fact as to whether the bus driver breached his duty to safely transport her under California law. See Cal. Vehicle Code § 17001. Jones testified that the bus driver attempted to secure her scooter and then proceeded to drive his route at an unsafe speed, causing her scooter to tip and injure her. See Nigro, 784 F.3d at 498 (uncorroborated and self-serving testimony sufficient to establish a genuine dispute of material fact because statements were “based on personal knowledge, legally relevant, and internally consistent”). Thus, we reverse the grant of summary judgment in favor of Defendants on Joness negligence claims.

AFFIRMED in part; REVERSED in part and REMANDED. Each party to bear its own costs on appeal.