Cahill Prevails in Pro Bono Case Against The New York City Department of Education
Date: 08/21/15
Cahill prevailed on behalf of pro bono client Debra Fisher, an occupational therapist for the disabled at Manhattan Public School 333, in a lawsuit she brought against the New York City Department of Education. In September 2014, Ms. Fisher was suspended by the Department of Education for 30 days without pay on charges of “theft of services” after helping a student with cerebral palsy create a Kickstarter fundraiser after getting school approval to do so. The student wanted to write a book about a boy born with legs in a world where everyone else has wheels.
In January 2015, Cahill represented Ms. Fisher as a plaintiff in a lawsuit to have the suspension overturned and the charges removed from her record. Subsequently, an independent investigation conducted by the office of Richard J. Condon, a Special Commissioner, found the investigation that led to Ms. Fisher’s suspension to be seriously flawed and without merit. As a result of this report, the New York City Department of Education is overhauling its procedures for investigations of this type to avoid levying against others the type of flawed charges that were directed at Ms. Fisher.
On August 20, the Director of the Office of Special Investigations for the New York City Department of Education rescinded Ms. Fisher’s suspension and agreed to pay her salary for the time period of suspension.