UNITED STATES v. SAFEHOUSE

CIVIL ACTION No. 19-519.

729 F.Supp.3d 451 (2024)

UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff, v. SAFEHOUSE, a Pennsylvania nonprofit corporation; Jose Benitez, as President and Treasurer of Safehouse, Defendants, Safehouse, a Pennsylvania nonprofit corporation, Counterclaim Plaintiff, v. United States of America, Counterclaim Defendant.

United States District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania.

Signed April 3, 2024.


Attorney(s) appearing for the Case

Bryan C. Hughes, Gregory B. David, Eric D. Gill, Erin E. Lindgren, Gregory Byron in Den Berken, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, William M. McSwain, Duane Morris LLP, Philadelphia, PA, John Crutchlow, U.S. Attorney's Office, Villanova, PA, for Plaintiff.

Bryan C. Hughes, Gregory B. David, Eric D. Gill, Erin E. Lindgren, Gregory Byron in Den Berken, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, William M. McSwain, Duane Morris LLP, Philadelphia, PA, for Counterclaim Defendant.

Adrian M. Lowe, Jacob M. Eden, Yolanda French Lollis, Ronda Goldfein, Aids Law Project of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, Ilana H. Eisenstein, DLA Piper LLP, Philadelphia, PA, Seth Kreimer, Philadelphia, PA, Peter Goldberger, Ardmore, PA, Ben C. Fabens-Lassen, DLA Piper LLP, Los Angeles, CA, for Counterclaim Plaintiff.

Eric D. Hageman, Justin W. Aimonetti, Michael Scott Proctor, II, Michael H. McGinley, Dechert LLP, Philadelphia, PA, for Intervenor Somerton Civic Association.

Adrian M. Lowe, Jacob M. Eden, Yolanda French Lollis, Honda Goldfein, Aids Law Project of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, Rachel A.H. Horton, Ilana H. Eisenstein, DLA Piper LLP, Philadelphia, PA, Seth Kreimer, Philadelphia, PA, Ben C. Fabens-Lassen, DLA Piper LLP, Los Angeles, CA, Peter Goldberger, Ardmore, PA, for Defendant Safehouse.

Adrian M. Lowe, Jacob M. Eden, Yolanda French Lollis, Aids Law Project of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, Ilana H. Eisenstein, Rachel A.H. Horton, DLA Piper LLP, Philadelphia, PA, Ben C. Fabens-Lassen, DLA Piper LLP, Los Angeles, CA, Ronda Goldfein, Aids Law Project of PA, Philadelphia, PA, for Defendant Jose Benitez.

Jose C. Campos, The Law Office of Jose C. Campos, Bethlehem, PA, for Amicus Katherine Franke.

Daniel Segal, Matthew Hamermesh, Hangley Aronchick Segal & Pudlin, Philadelphia, PA, Jillian Schlotter, Mark C. Fleming, Tasha J. Balla], Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr LLP, Boston, MA, Nicholas Roger Werle, Wilmerhale LLP, New York, NY, for Amicus Current and Former Prosecutors, Law Enforcement Leaders, and Former Department of Justice Officials and Leaders.

Virginia A. Gibson, Hogan Lovells U.S. LLP, Philadelphia, PA, for Amici NY New York, CA San Francisco, PA Pittsburgh, WA King County, WA Seattle, Svante L. Myrick.

Mary Catherine Roper, Langer, Grogan & Diver, P.C., Philadelphia, PA, for Amicus American Civil Liberties Union.

Haryle Kaldis, Hayes A. Hunt, Thomas Aloysius Leonard, IV, Cozen O'Connor, Philadelphia, PA, for Amicus Friends and Family of Victims of Opioid Addiction.

Lucy E. Pittman, Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia, Washington, DC, Matthew C. Stiegler, Philadelphia District Attorney's Office, Philadelphia, PA, for Amicus The District of Columbia and the States of Colorado, Delaware, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon and Virginia.

Bradly A. Nankerville, Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN, Brian T. Feeney, Kevin W. Rethore, Jessica Natali, Greenberg Traurig, LLP, Philadelphia, PA, for Amici Action Wellness, Act Up Philadelphia, LGBT Elder Initiative, Philadelphia Fight, Pennsylvania Harm Reduction Coalition, Prevention Point Philadelphia, Sero Project, Sol Collective, William Way LGBT Community Center.

Eric D. Hageman, Justin W. Aimonetti, Michael Scott Proctor, II, Dechert LLP, Washington, DC, Michael H. McGinley, Dechert LLP, Philadelphia, PA, Steven B. Feirson, Copo Strategies, Philadelphia, PA, for Amici Juniata Park Civic Association, Kensington Independent Civic Association, Port Richmond on Patrol and Civic, South Port Richmond Civic Association, Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 5.

Michael H. McGinley, Dechert LLP, Philadelphia, PA, Steven B. Feirson, Copo Strategies, Philadelphia, PA, for Amicus Bridesburg Civic Association.

Nida Vidutis, Thomas V. Loran, III, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, San Francisco, CA, Amy B. Carver, Catherine M. Recker, Welsh & Recker, P.C., Philadelphia, PA, for Amicus Constitutional Law Scholar and Commerce Clause Expert Professor Randy Barnett.

Ellen C. Brotman, Brotman Law, Philadelphia, PA, Lindsay LaSalle, Drug Policy Alliance, Oakland, CA, for Amici Aids United, Association for Multidisciplinary Education and Research in Substance Use and Addiction, Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health, California Society of Addiction Medicine, Drug Policy Alliance, Harm Reduction Coalition, National Association of State And Territorial Aids Directors, The Foundation for Aids Research, Positive Women's Network, Treatment Action Group, Vital Strategies.

Michael D. Lipuma, Philadelphia, PA, for Amici Homeless Advocacy Project, Pathways to Housing PA, Catholic Worker Free Clinic, Bethesda Project, St. Francis Inn.

Katherine Franke, Columbia Law School, New York, NY, for Amici Micah Schwartzman, Elizabeth Sepper, Nelson Tebbe.

Mira E. Baylson, Cozen O'Connor, Philadelphia, PA, Jonathan Isaac Aronchick, Duane Morris LLC, Philadelphia, PA, Andrew R. Schlossberg, Devin S. Sikes, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, Washington, DC, for Amicus Religious. Leaders in the Philadelphia Community and Beyond.

Jennifer E. MacNaughton, City of Philadelphia Law Department, Philadelphia, PA, for Amici Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, Dr. Thomas Farley.

Julie A. Busta, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, Philadelphia, PA, Devin S. Sikes, Shannon A. Jackenthal, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer Feld LLP, Washington, DC, Nikunj P. Soni, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, Houston, TX, for Amicus Faith Leaders in Philadelphia and Beyond.


MEMORANDUM

This is a declaratory judgment action in which the federal government sought and ultimately won a ruling from the Third Circuit Court of Appeals that it could criminally prosecute Safehouse, a non-profit organization, under 18 U.S.C. § 856 if Safehouse proceeded with its plans to open...

Let's get started

Leagle.com

Welcome to the leading source of independent legal reporting
Sign on now to see your case.
Or view more than 10 million decisions and orders.

  • Updated daily.
  • Uncompromising quality.
  • Complete, Accurate, Current.

Listed below are the cases that are cited in this Featured Case. Click the citation to see the full text of the cited case. Citations are also linked in the body of the Featured Case.

Cited Cases

  • No Cases Found

Listed below are those cases in which this Featured Case is cited. Click on the case name to see the full text of the citing case.

Citing Cases