U.S.D.J. Amon Reverses ALJ Iwuamadi

Following oral argument, U.S. District Court Judge Carol Bagley Amon reversed the decision of Administrative Law Judge (“ALJ”) Ifeoma Iwuamadi, and ordered the Social Security Administration (“SSA”) to pay the claimant Social Security Disability (“SSD”) benefits. Judge Amon’s decision is being added to the Court Decisions under our website’s Resources tab. 

Judge Amon ruled that ALJ Iwuamadi failed (a) to give sufficient weight to the opinion of the claimant’s psychiatrist; (b) improperly relied on the opinion of a non-examining psychologist to determine the claimant’s limitations; (c) improperly substituted her opinion that the claimant could perform “simple, routine and repetitive tasks and simple work-related decisions with occasional contact from supervisors,” despite an absence of any support whatsoever for that conclusion in the medical evidence. 

Judge held that ALJ Iwuamadi’s decision was so deficient that it could not even be remedied by ordering further proceedings. Consequently, Judge Amon held that because ALJ Iwuamadi’s decision not only applied incorrect legal standards, but also lacked substantial evidence, the case was remanded solely to calculate and pay benefits.