James Gregory Howell, Jr. v. The Morehouse School of Medicine, Inc.

[DO NOT PUBLISH]
In the
United States Court of Appeals
For the Eleventh Circuit
____________________
No. 22-13778
____________________
JAMES GREGORY HOWELL, JR.,
Plaintiff-Appellant,
versus
THE MOREHOUSE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, INC.,
Defendant-Appellee.
____________________
Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Northern District of Georgia
D.C. Docket No. 1:20-cv-03389-MHC
____________________
Before B RANCH, GRANT, and E D CARNES, Circuit Judges.
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2 Opinion of the Court 22-13778
PER CURIAM:
James Howell, Jr., a former student, sued Morehouse School
of Medicine after he was dismissed for academic deficiencies during
his third year of medical school. Howell was granted an extensive
array of disability accommodations while he was a student at
Morehouse. To ameliorate the effects of his Attention-
Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, he was given private testing
rooms, designated note-takers in his classes, access to audio and
video taped lectures, double time for examinations and in-class
assignments, breaks during examinations and in-class assignments,
and preferential seating in class. He claims, however, that
Morehouse did not administer his note-taking accommodation
effectively during his first two years because he did not receive
notes for every class, and when he did receive notes, they were not
always delivered within the 48-hour timeframe that Morehouse
allegedly promised.
Though the problems with the note-taking accommodation
had been indisputably corrected by Howell’s third year of school,
Howell struggled even more in his classes; he failed multiple
courses and was academically dismissed from Morehouse School
of Medicine. He admits, though, that during his third year he
“really had to disengage from medical school” because he was
researching his rights and “looking through over two years of
emails.” While ostensibly preparing for this lawsuit, he did not
study, attend classes, or even take his exams.
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22-13778 Opinion of the Court 3
Howell sued Morehouse, pleading fifteen counts related to
the school’s allegedly inadequate administration of his disability
accommodations. Howell’s basic theory of the case is that, because
his note-taking accommodation was ineffective during his first two
years, he never absorbed the foundational medical knowledge
required to succeed in his later coursework. As a result, he argues
that he is entitled to the novel relief of having his entire transcript
wiped clean and being permitted to restart medical school “afresh.”
The district court dismissed all of Howell’s claims and denied his
third motion to amend the complaint.
After careful consideration of the record and the parties’
briefs, and with the benefit of oral argument, we find no reversible
error in the district court’s well-reasoned orders dismissing
Howell’s federal and state law claims against Morehouse School of
Medicine and denying his motion to amend his complaint a third
time.
AFFIRMED.
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