Greene v. Teitel Bros., Inc.

Background

This action arose under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), a federal wage-and-hour law, and the New York Labor Law. The parties consented to the jurisdiction of United States Magistrate Judge Katharine H. Parker under 28 U.S.C. § 636(c).

Plaintiffs Eric Jenkins, Damien Hassan, and Calvain Lopez, together with the defendants, reached an agreement modifying the payments and payment schedule under their previously approved settlement. They placed that modified agreement and the reasons for the changes on the record for court approval. Plaintiff Akbar Ali Greene and the defendants also reached an agreement in principle and submitted their proposed settlement agreement to the court.

Court’s analysis

The court held a settlement conference and worked with the parties in reaching an agreement. Because FLSA settlements require judicial review for fairness, the court considered whether the proposed and modified agreements represented a reasonable compromise of the claims asserted by Greene, Hassan, Lopez, and Jenkins. The court also considered compensation for plaintiffs’ counsel’s legal fees.

Ruling and effect

Judge Parker found that the terms of the proposed settlement and modified settlement were fair, reasonable, and adequate to address the settling plaintiffs’ claims and compensate their counsel. The court therefore approved the agreements.

At the parties’ request, the court retained jurisdiction to enforce the settlement and modified settlement agreements if necessary. The court ordered that the action be discontinued with prejudice and without costs, and directed the clerk to close the case.