DECISION
in the proceedings
xxx,
– Applicant –
Legal representative: Attorney Sven Adam
, Lange-Geismar-Str. 55, 37073 Göttingen
against
City of Stuttgart – Social Welfare Office
, represented by the Mayor,
Eberhardstr. 33, 70173 Stuttgart
– Respondent –
The 11th Chamber of the Stuttgart Social Court decided on February 16, 2023 in Stuttgart through Judge xxx of the Social Court without oral proceedings:
The respondent is ordered by way of preliminary injunction to grant the applicant benefits pursuant to Sections 3 and 3a of the Asylum Seekers' Benefits Act (AsylbLG) at standard benefit level 1, provisionally and subject to the right of recovery, from December 15, 2022, until a final and binding decision is reached on the applicant's objections of December 13, 2022, and February 13, 2022
The respondent shall bear the applicant's extrajudicial costs.
REASONS
I.
The parties are (still) in dispute over the granting of basic benefits in accordance with Sections 3 and 3a of the Asylum Seekers' Benefits Act (AsylbLG) at the standard benefit level 1.
The applicant is a Russian national and first entered the Federal Republic of Germany on October 21, 2015. Since April 29, 2021, the applicant has held a certificate of suspension of deportation (Duldung) pursuant to Section 60b Paragraph 1 of the Residence Act (Duldung for persons with unclear identity, valid until April 11, 2023).
By decision dated January 31, 2022, the respondent granted the applicant limited benefits pursuant to Section 1a Paragraph 3 of the Asylum Seekers' Benefits Act (AsylbLG) for the period from January 1, 2022 to June 30, 2022. From July 1, 2022 onwards, the respondent continued to pay the applicant limited benefits pursuant to Section 1a Paragraph 3 of the Asylum Seekers' Benefits Act (AsylbLG).
The applicant lodged an objection against this on December 13, 2022, and submitted the present application for preliminary legal protection on December 15, 2022.
The applicant argues that the disputed reduction in benefits is unconstitutional and that he is entitled to benefits in a constitutionally compliant amount at the standard benefit level 1.
The applicant originally requested
that the respondent be ordered, by way of an interim injunction, to grant the applicant the requested benefits in the statutory amount from the date of receipt of this application, provisionally and subject to the right of recovery, until a legally binding decision is reached on the applicant's objection of December 13, 2022, against the de facto provision of benefits from January 1, 2022 (file no.: 2640.714266), taking into account the legal opinion of the court.
The respondent requests that
the application be dismissed.
The respondent argues that there is no entitlement to higher benefits and that the applicant has not credibly demonstrated any grounds for an injunction. The reduction of benefits pursuant to Section 1a Paragraph 3 of the Asylum Seekers' Benefits Act (AsylbLG) is lawful.
The respondent stated in a letter dated January 16, 2023, that the applicant would be granted benefits for the month of January 2023 in accordance with Sections 1 and 3 of the Asylum Seekers' Benefits Act (AsylbLG) at standard benefit level 2. By decision dated February 6, 2023, the respondent granted the applicant basic benefits in accordance with Sections 1 and 3 of the Asylum Seekers' Benefits Act (AsylbLG) for the months of January and February 2023 at standard benefit level 2.
The applicant lodged another objection against this on February 13, 203.
The applicant ultimately requests
that the respondent be ordered, by way of preliminary injunction, to grant the applicant basic benefits pursuant to Sections 3 and 3a of the Asylum Seekers' Benefits Act (AsylbLG) at standard benefit level 1, provisionally and subject to the right of recovery, until a final and binding decision is reached on the applicant's objection of December 13, 2022, against the de facto granting of benefits from July 1, 2022 (file number: 2640.714266) and on the objection of February 13, 2022, against the decision of February 6, 2023, from December 15, 2022.
For further details of the parties' submissions and the facts of the case, reference is made to the administrative file of the respondent and the case file.
II.
The application for preliminary legal protection is admissible and well-founded.
The subject of the dispute – after the issuance of the approval notice of 06.2.2023 – is still the granting of basic benefits according to §§ 3, 3a AsylbLG in the standard needs level 1 from 15.2022.
In this case, preliminary legal protection is governed by Section 86 Paragraph 2 Sentence 2 of the Social Courts Act (SGG). According to this provision, the court hearing the main proceedings may issue a preliminary injunction to regulate a provisional state of affairs with regard to a disputed legal relationship if such regulation appears necessary to avert substantial disadvantages. This is the case if, upon preliminary examination, the applicant has a claim to the requested benefit (claim for an injunction) and the enforcement of the claim cannot wait for a decision in the main proceedings due to particular urgency (ground for an injunction). The claim for an injunction and the ground for an injunction must be substantiated (Section 86b Paragraph 2 Sentence 4 SGG in conjunction with Section 920 Paragraph 2 of the Code of Civil Procedure – ZPO). In view of its provisional nature, the interim order may not, in principle, anticipate the final decision in the main proceedings (cf. LSG North Rhine-Westphalia of 26 January 2015 – L 7 AS 617/14 B; LSG Saxony of 19 December 2016 – L 7 AS 1001/16 B ER; HK-SGG/Binder § 86b Rn. 45).
The claim for an injunction and the grounds for the injunction are not isolated entities; rather, they are interrelated such that the requirements for the claim for an injunction decrease with increasing urgency or severity of the threatened harm (the grounds for the injunction), and vice versa. If the main action is manifestly inadmissible or unfounded, the application for a preliminary injunction must generally be rejected regardless of the grounds for the injunction, because no right worthy of protection exists. Conversely, if the main action is manifestly well-founded, the requirements for the grounds for the injunction are reduced. However, even then, a ground for the injunction cannot be dispensed with entirely (Lower Saxony-Bremen Higher Social Court, decision of November 15, 2013 – L 15 AS 365/13 B ER, para. 18, juris; Hesse Higher Social Court, decision of February 5, 2007 – L 9 AS 254/06 ER, para. 4, juris). Rather, the issuance of a preliminary injunction must be necessary to avert substantial disadvantages; that is, there must be an urgent emergency requiring an immediate decision. Such an emergency exists when one's livelihood is threatened or significant economic disadvantages are likely (Keller in: MeyerLadewig/Keller/Leitherer/Schmidt, SGG, 13th ed. 2020, § 86b para. 29a; Burkiczak in: Schlegel/Voelzke, jurisPK-SGG, 2nd ed., § 86b SGG (as of 03.02.2023), para. 412).
The Chamber is convinced that the applicant has substantiated a claim for an injunction.
Therefore, a preliminary review indicates that a tacit restriction of benefits for the period from July 2022 onwards is not justified. In this regard, the respondent granted the applicant limited benefits pursuant to Section 1a Paragraph 3 of the Asylum Seekers' Benefits Act (AsylbLG) for the period from January 1, 2022 to June 30, 2022, by decision dated January 31, 2022. According to the wording of the decision dated January 31, 2022, the restriction of benefits was to be reviewed again subsequently. For the period from July 1, 2022 onwards, the respondent then tacitly continued to grant the applicant limited benefits pursuant to Section 1a Paragraph 3 of the AsylbLG. While restrictions of benefits exceeding six months are generally possible under the regulatory framework, they require particularly critical examination in light of the principle of proportionality and the need to secure residency. In this context, however, the court finds no evidence that the respondent actually and legally reviewed the extension of the benefit beyond June 30, 2022. Merely repeated, unexamined extensions are inadmissible in this respect (see Baden-Württemberg State Social Court, decision of July 13, 2021 – L 7 AY 1929/21 ER-B –, juris; Oppermann in: Schlegel/Voelzke, jurisPK-SGB XII, 3rd ed., § 14 AsylbLG (as of October 25, 2021), para. 21). Rather, after the initial restriction of benefits has expired, the authority must conduct a new factual and legal review of the individual case pursuant to Section 14 Paragraph 2 of the Asylum Seekers' Benefits Act (AsylbLG) to determine whether and to what extent the restriction of benefits should be continued for a limited period by means of a new decision (see Baden-Württemberg State Social Court, decision of July 13, 2021 – L 7 AY 1929/21 ER-B, para. 6, juris; Baden-Württemberg State Social Court, decision of June 18, 2018 – L 7 AY 1511/18 ER-B, para. 9, juris). Taking this into account, the applicant is to be granted basic benefits pursuant to Sections 3 and 3a of the Asylum Seekers' Benefits Act (AsylbLG) from the date the application for interim relief was received by the court on December 15, 2022.
Furthermore, the Chamber is convinced that the applicant is entitled to basic benefits in accordance with Sections 3 and 3a of the Asylum Seekers' Benefits Act (AsylbLG) at the standard benefit level 1.
The applicant is housed in communal accommodation within the meaning of Section 53 Paragraph 1 of the Asylum Act and, based on the above statements and the grant notice of February 6, 2023, is entitled to basic benefits pursuant to Sections 3 and 3a of the Asylum Seekers' Benefits Act. In the Chamber's opinion, and taking into account the decision of the Federal Constitutional Court of October 19, 2022 (Case No. 1 BvL 3/21), he is entitled to these benefits to the extent of standard benefit level 1. With this decision, the Federal Constitutional Court reconciled Section 2 Paragraph 1 Sentence 1 No. 1 of the Asylum Seekers' Benefits Act with Article 1 Paragraph 1 of the Basic Law. The Federal Constitutional Court has declared the provision incompatible with the social welfare principle enshrined in Article 20 Paragraph 1 of the Basic Law, insofar as a standard allowance for a single adult is only recognized at the level of standard allowance level 2, and has ordered, until a new regulation is enacted, that Section 28 of the German Social Code, Book XII (SGB XII) in conjunction with the Standard Allowance Determination Act and Sections 28a and 49 of the SGB XII shall apply mutatis mutandis to beneficiaries of benefits under Section 2 Paragraph 1 Sentence 1 of the Asylum Seekers' Benefits Act (AsylbLG), with the proviso that, in the case of accommodation in communal accommodation within the meaning of Section 53 Paragraph 1 of the Asylum Act (AsylG) or a reception facility under Section 44 Paragraph 1 of the Asylum Act (AsylG), a standard allowance at the level of the respective current standard allowance level 1 shall be used as the basis for calculating benefits for each single adult. In the Chamber's view, the aforementioned decision of the Federal Constitutional Court also undoubtedly establishes the unconstitutionality of the parallel provision in Section 3a Paragraph 1 No. 2 lit. b of the Asylum Seekers' Benefits Act (AsylbLG) or Section 3a Paragraph 2 No. 2 lit. b of the AsylbLG (see also: Hessian State Social Court, decision of December 20, 2022 – L 4 AY 28/22 B ER; Frerichs in: Schlegel/Voelzke, jurisPK-SGB XII, 3rd edition, Section 3a AsylbLG (as of December 28, 2022), marginal note 44_18). Insofar as the Federal Constitutional Court limited its order to those entitled to benefits under Section 2 Paragraph 1 Sentence 1 No. 1 of the Asylum Seekers' Benefits Act (AsylbLG) and those entitled to benefits under Sections 3, 3a Paragraph 1 No. 2 Letter b) and Paragraph 2 No. 2 Letter b) of the AsylbLG are not covered by the order, the constitutional issues of the regulations in Section 3a AsylbLG are comparable, because in this respect, too, there are no reliable indications that savings are regularly achieved or can be achieved in collective accommodations through shared management that would justify a reduction in benefits by 10% (cf. Hessian State Social Court, decision of December 20, 2022 – L 4 AY 28/22 B ER).
In this context, the Chamber assumes that the new regulation by the legislator expected as a result of the decision of the Federal Constitutional Court will also extend to the special needs level according to Section 3a Paragraph 1 No. 2 lit. b AsylbLG or Section 3a Paragraph 2 No. 2 lit. b AsylbLG. The website of the Association of Towns and Municipalities of North Rhine-Westphalia (see NRW Association of Towns and Municipalities press release 690/2022 of December 21, 2022) also indicates that, in response to an inquiry from the Working Group of the Federal States on Migration and Refugee Issues (ArgeFlü) regarding whether the Federal Constitutional Court's decision (Case No. 1 BvL 3/21) should also apply to benefits under Sections 3 and 3a of the Asylum Seekers' Benefits Act (AsylbLG), the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (BMAS) stated "that the aforementioned decision declaring the regulation under Section 2 Paragraph 1 Sentence 4 Number 1 AsylbLG unconstitutional should also be applied to the granting of basic benefits under Sections 3 and 3a AsylbLG." The reasoning underlying the unconstitutionality of the provision—namely, that there is no credible evidence that savings are regularly achieved or can be achieved in collective accommodations through shared resources that would justify a 10% reduction in benefits—is of a fundamental nature. The Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (BMAS) therefore assumes that the decision also applies to the parallel regulations in Section 3a Paragraph 1 Number 2 and Paragraph 2 Number 2 of the Asylum Seekers' Benefits Act (AsylbLG) for benefits under the basic benefits scheme (see https://www.kommunen.nrw/en/information/bulletins/database/detailansicht/dokument/hinweise-des-ministeriums-fuer-kinder-jugend-familie-gleichstellung-flucht-und-integration-zum-as.html; last accessed on 15.02.2023).
Grounds for an injunction also exist. The mere fact that basic social security benefits are affected is not sufficient to generally assume an irreparable disadvantage that cannot be rectified in the main proceedings (see Federal Constitutional Court, decision of September 19, 2017 – 1 BvR 1719/17, juris, para. 8; Baden-Württemberg State Social Court, decision of August 28, 2019 – L 7 AY 2735/19 ER-B, para. 8, juris). Such a situation arises for the period from December 15, 2022 to December 31, 2022, from the complete restriction of economic activity due to the limitation of benefits to the bare essentials (see Oppermann in: Schlegel/Voelzke, jurisPK-SGB XII, 3rd ed., § 1a AsylbLG (as of November 2, 2022), para. 219); Lower Saxony-Bremen State Social Court, decision of April 9, 2020 – L 8 AY 4/20 B ER, para. 40, juris; Baden-Württemberg State Social Court, decision of July 13, 2021 – L 7 AY 1929/21 ER-B, para. 10, juris). For the period from January 2023 onwards, the Chamber is of the opinion that, given the prevailing prospects of success in the main proceedings as outlined above, and with reference to the decision of the Federal Constitutional Court of October 19, 2022 (Case No. 1 BvL 3/21), a restrictive jurisprudence focused on demonstrating urgency (cf. Burkiczak in: Schlegel/Voelzke, jurisPK-SGG, 2nd ed., § 86b SGG (as of February 3, 2023), para. 425 with further references) is not warranted. Against this background, the Chamber considers the applicant's assertion that the benefits from January 2023 onwards are insufficient to cover his subsistence minimum to be exceptionally sufficient to establish grounds for an injunction.
The decision on costs is based on a corresponding application of Section 193 of the Social Court Act (SGG).
Since the legal dispute regarding the amount of the claimed benefits requires an appeal on the merits, a complaint is not admissible in this case, §§ 172 para. 3 no. 1, 144 para. 1 sentence 1 no. 1 SGG.
