Supreme Court of the United States · Official docket →
Leonarda Bautista, Individually and as Parent and Natural Guardian of A. B. v. Kamar H. Samuels, Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education, et al.
Paid petition · United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, No. 25-945 · judgment February 27, 2026
(petition-stage, structural)
Modestly above the 4.1% base rate. The model weights this up for counsel with five or more prior petitions here, a Second Circuit decision below, and a circuit split argued in the petition.
Questions presented
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Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, in order to determine whether the parent of a disabled child is entitled to reimbursement from the local school district for a unilateral placement, administrative officers and courts apply the Burlington/Carter analysis. If the parent prevails on the first two prongs of that test, is there a rebuttable presumption of full reimbursement, which the school district may rebut only by producing evidence showing that the equities do not favor full reimbursement?
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At an impartial hearing seeking reimbursement for a private placement under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, does a Parent waive her right to seek transportation funding when her attorney makes a misstatement as to the relief sought, despite making a claim for transportation in the Due Process Complaint, presenting evidence to support the claim, and never abandoning the claim?
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Under the Burlington/Carter test to determine a parent’s entitlement to public funding of a private placement, is the parent held to a higher standard of proof under Prong II than the school district is held under Prong I, or a lower standard of proof?
Counsel of record
For petitioner
Rory J. Bellantoni
Liberty & Freedom Legal Group
For respondent
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Case
Conference history
Distributed for 1 conference
Proceedings
- Sep 02 2026DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 9/28/2026.
- Jul 08 2026Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due August 20, 2026)