Opinion
CIVIL ACTION NO. 3:17-CV-312
04-19-2018
LORI LYNN HAZLAK, Plaintiff v. NANCY A. BERRYHILL, Acting Commissioner of Social Security, Defendant
( ) ORDER
AND NOW, this 19th day of April, 2018, upon consideration of the report (Doc. 17) of Magistrate Judge Joseph F. Saporito, Jr., recommending that the court vacate the decision of the administrative law judge denying the application of plaintiff Lori Lynn Hazlak ("Hazlak"), for supplemental security income and remand this matter for further proceedings, wherein Judge Saporito opines that the administrative law judge's decision is not "supported by substantial evidence," 42 U.S.C. § 405(g), and it appearing that neither Hazlak nor the Commissioner of Social Security ("Commissioner") object to the report, see FED. R. CIV. P. 72(b)(2), and that the Commissioner has expressly waived the opportunity to do so, (see Doc. 18), and the court noting that failure to timely object to a magistrate judge's conclusions "may result in forfeiture of de novo review at the district court level," Nara v. Frank, 488 F.3d 187, 194 (3d Cir. 2007) (citing Henderson v. Carlson, 812 F.2d 874, 878-79 (3d Cir. 1987)), but that, as a matter of good practice, a district court should "afford some level of review to dispositive legal issues raised by the report," Henderson, 812 F.2d at 878; see also Taylor v. Comm'r of Soc. Sec., 83 F. Supp. 3d 625, 626 (M.D. Pa. 2015) (citing Univac Dental Co. v. Dentsply Int'l, Inc., 702 F. Supp. 2d 465, 469 (M.D. Pa. 2010)), in order to "satisfy itself that there is no clear error on the face of the record," FED. R. CIV. P. 72(b), advisory committee notes, and, following review of the record, the court in agreement with Judge Saporito's recommendation, and concluding that there is no clear error on the face of the record, it is hereby ORDERED that:
1. The report (Doc. 17) of Magistrate Judge Saporito is ADOPTED.
2. The Clerk of Court shall enter judgment in favor of Hazlak and against the Commissioner as set forth in the following paragraph.
3. The Commissioner's decision is VACATED and this matter is REMANDED to the Commissioner with instructions to conduct a new administrative hearing, develop the record fully, and evaluate the evidence appropriately in accordance with this order and the report (Doc. 17) of Magistrate Judge Saporito.
4. The Clerk of Court is directed to CLOSE this case.
/S/ CHRISTOPHER C. CONNER
Christopher C. Conner, Chief Judge
United States District Court
Middle District of Pennsylvania