Li v. China Merchants Bank Co., LTD.

Background

The court considered Plaintiff Li’s pre-motion letter about discovery and Defendants’ opposing letter. The defendants’ letter described the underlying case as involving Li’s claims of age, gender, and citizenship discrimination and retaliation under New York State and New York City law, as well as claims under the Family and Medical Leave Act and 42 U.S.C. § 1981. Those descriptions were the defendants’ account of the claims and of the proper discovery scope.

The defendants argued that Li sought discovery covering unrelated discrimination allegations, other lawsuits, additional people, and a period exceeding ten years. They contended that discovery should be tied to the claims pleaded, the alleged decisionmaker, the type of discrimination involved, and the relevant limitations periods. The defendants also stated that they had offered narrower discovery concerning complaints against Mr. Pan and electronic communications from specified custodians and periods.

Court’s Action

The court first admonished both parties for filing letters longer than three pages, contrary to Rule 2(C)(ii) of its Individual Rules of Practice in Civil Cases. It then ordered the parties to appear at a telephone conference on March 6, 2025, at 10:00 a.m., to discuss the issues raised in the letters. The order did not decide the merits of Li’s employment claims or resolve the parties’ specific discovery disagreements.

Classification

This is a procedural order concerning discovery. The court scheduled a conference and did not make a merits ruling or finally resolve the discovery dispute.