Legal Aid Society
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08/12/2025

R.M. v. Office of Mental Health

The Legal Aid Society filed this class action lawsuit to challenge New York State’s failure to provide timely and adequate competency restoration services to people who are charged with felonies and found unfit to stand trial in New York City. The lawsuit brings claims against the New York State Office of Mental Health and its city partners, the New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene and New York City Health + Hospitals Corporation. The suit allege that delays in competency restoration services violate due process and the right to a reasonable accommodation under the federal disability rights statutes—the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. It also alleges that the Defendants’ dysfunctional operation of the competency restoration system denies people the opportunity to receive competency restoration services in the most integrated setting appropriate to their needs, in violation of the Olmstead integration mandate under the federal disability rights statutes.