Rivera ex rel. S.M.H. v. Colvin
Plaintiff Carmen Rivera, on behalf of her daughter S.M.H., sought federal judicial review of a Social Security Administration decision denying Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. Magistrate Judge Ronald L. Ellis recommended granting Rivera's motion for judgment on the pleadings and denying the Commissioner's cross-motion, finding S.M.H. met the disability requirements. The Magistrate Judge concluded that the Administrative Law Judge erred in finding S.M.H. had 'less than marked limitation' in interacting and relating with others, despite substantial evidence of behavioral and social difficulties. The District Court, presided over by Judge Colleen McMahon, adopted the Report and Recommendation, granting the plaintiff's motion, denying the defendant's motion, and remanding the case for the sole purpose of calculating benefits. The court found that the record persuasively demonstrated S.M.H.'s disability due to marked limitations in at least two functional domains and potentially meeting the mental retardation listing.