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Paul, Weiss secured the dismissal of a federal suit brought against our client, the New York State Attorney Grievance Committee, by a pro se litigant alleging that the Committee participated in a conspiracy with a New York federal judge and others relating to the 2014 revocation of the plaintiff’s medical license by the New Jersey Medical Board.

The plaintiff, Arjun Kaul, filed suit in October 2024 in the Southern District of Mississippi following the dismissal of a separate case by U.S. Judge Paul Oetken of the Southern District of New York. Kaul alleges that Judge Oetken’s decision aligns with a pattern of racketeering that has been ongoing since 2014, and that the grievance committee became a part of this scheme when it failed to investigate Judge Oetken’s ruling and refer him to a prosecutorial authority. Kaul’s suit names the committee, Judge Oetken in his personal and professional capacity, and the Mississippi Medical Board, and brings claims under the RICO Act, Section 1983, which allows individuals to sue state and local government officials who have violated their constitutional or federal statutory rights, and the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights.

In our December 2024 motion to dismiss, we argued that the grievance committee has sovereign immunity from the lawsuit under the Eleventh Amendment, which restricts the ability of individuals to sue states in federal court, because the committee is an arm of the state of New York, receives state funding and is responsible for investigating and prosecuting professional misconduct by lawyers. U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves agreed with our client, granting the motion to dismiss on these grounds. The judge also granted Judge Oetken’s motion to dismiss on judicial immunity grounds.

The Paul, Weiss team representing the grievance committee includes litigation partner Aidan Synnott.