Elizabeth C. Coombe
How Judge Coombe decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
Grants a defendant's motion to dismiss where the complaint fails to state a claim, commonly granting the plaintiff leave to amend within a set period.
“Defendant's motion to dismiss, Dkt. No. 10, is GRANTED; it is further ORDERED that Plaintiff is granted leave to amend ... any amended complaint must be filed within 30 days”
Procedural preferences
Adopts the assigned magistrate judge's Report-Recommendation in its entirety, including on summary judgment where the plaintiff files no opposition.
“the Court adopts the Report-Recommendation in its entirety ... Defendant's Motion for Summary Judgment, Dkt. No. 30, is GRANTED; ... Plaintiff's Complaint, Dkt. No. 1, is DISMISSED”
Cautions
Enforces litigation obligations: dismisses claims with prejudice under Rule 41(b) for failure to prosecute (e.g., refusing to appear for deposition).
“the Defendant's motion to dismiss Named Plaintiff Larry Balcolm's claims pursuant to Rule 41(b), Dkt. No. 43, is GRANTED, and Named Plaintiff Larry Balcolm's claims are DISMISSED with prejudice”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“Defendants' motion to dismiss under Rules 12(b)(1) and 12(b)(6), Dkt. No. 23, is GRANTED in part and DENIED in part ... GRANTED as to Plaintiff's Fourteenth Amendment due process claim ... this claim is DISMISSED without prejudice ... in all other respects DENIED”
“Defendant's motion to dismiss, Dkt. No. 10, is GRANTED; it is further ORDERED that Plaintiff is granted leave to amend ... any amended complaint must be filed within 30 days”
“the Defendant's motion to dismiss Named Plaintiff Larry Balcolm's claims pursuant to Rule 41(b), Dkt. No. 43, is GRANTED, and Named Plaintiff Larry Balcolm's claims are DISMISSED with prejudice”
“Plaintiff's motion, Dkt. No. 18, is DENIED; it is further ORDERED that unless Plaintiff amends its complaint within 30 days, this action is to be dismissed without prejudice”
“Magistrate Judge Lovric's Report-Recommendation, Dkt. No. 81, is ADOPTED in its entirety; and it is further ORDERED that Defendant Cayuga County's motion to dismiss, Dkt. No. 62, is DENIED”
“the Court adopts the Report-Recommendation in its entirety ... Defendant's Motion for Summary Judgment, Dkt. No. 30, is GRANTED; ... Plaintiff's Complaint, Dkt. No. 1, is DISMISSED”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
Median motion-to-ruling time: 170 days (N = 9).
The reviewed June 2024 through March 2025 filing window spans civil-rights, employment, education, Social Security, tax-recovery, mortgage-foreclosure, and criminal matters. The cases assigned after Coombe's December 2024 commission reflect a broad general-civil district docket, but most remain pending. The few early civil terminations support only illustrative duration figures.
Put Judge Coombe's record to work
Ezel drafts and answers grounded in this exact profile: how Judge Coombe actually rules, not a generic AI guess.
Opens in Ezel Pro. Every answer is grounded in Judge Coombe's own signed orders and cites them.