Elgalad v. New York City Department Of Education
- Vernon Broderick
- 1:17-cv-04849
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In Ahmed M. Elgalad v. Michelle Rochon and Kabeya Mbuyi, Judge Broderick scheduled a conference to discuss setting a trial date while counsel search continued.
Ahmed M. Elgalad, Michelle Rochon, and Kabeya Mbuyi; any volunteer attorney who later enters an appearance for Elgalad would also have to comply with the letter-filing requirement.
What happened
In Ahmed M. Elgalad v. Michelle Rochon and Kabeya Mbuyi, the court said it had previously allowed the plaintiff’s retaliation claims under New York State and New York City human-rights laws to proceed after denying the defendants’ request for summary judgment on those claims.
The plaintiff had been approved to receive help from a volunteer lawyer, but the search for one was still continuing. The plaintiff therefore remained without a lawyer, and the court explained that it could not guarantee that a volunteer lawyer would be found.
Judge Vernon S. Broderick ordered the parties to attend a conference on January 8, 2025, and to be ready to discuss setting a trial date. If the plaintiff obtained a volunteer lawyer, that lawyer had to file a short letter confirming availability within seven days after formally appearing in the case.
The detailed version
- Elgalad v. New York City Department Of Education · No. 1:17-cv-04849
- Vernon Broderick
- Nov. 27, 2024
Background
The order states that, on February 14, 2024, the court denied defendants Michelle Rochon and Kabeya Mbuyi’s motion for summary judgment as to Ahmed M. Elgalad’s retaliation claims under the New York State Human Rights Law and the New York City Human Rights Law. On May 2, 2024, the court granted Elgalad’s request for appointment of volunteer counsel and asked the Office of Pro Se Litigation to search for a suitable attorney.
Current Status
The search for volunteer counsel was still continuing when this order was entered, and Elgalad remained without a lawyer. The court noted that indigent civil litigants do not have an automatic right to appointed volunteer counsel and that the court could not guarantee counsel’s availability.
Order
Judge Vernon S. Broderick ordered a conference for January 8, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. The parties were directed to be prepared to set a trial date. If Elgalad obtained volunteer counsel, the attorney was ordered to file a short letter confirming availability for the conference within seven days after entering an appearance. This order addressed scheduling and counsel-related matters; it did not decide the underlying retaliation claims.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.