Sumlin v. Dream Projects, LLC
- Rochon
- 1:25-cv-01591
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 1
In Sumlin v. Dream Projects, Judge Rochon ordered settlement discussions and a joint status letter but made no decision on the lawsuit’s merits.
Dennis Sumlin and Dream Projects, LLC, who must participate in the ordered settlement discussions and submit the required joint letter.
What happened
In Sumlin v. Dream Projects, LLC, Dennis Sumlin brought an action on behalf of himself and others similarly situated against Dream Projects, LLC. The order required the parties to meet for at least one hour within 30 days after service of the summons and complaint and make a good-faith effort to settle.
The parties must discuss whether Sumlin has standing to bring the case and whether mediation or a settlement conference before a magistrate judge would be useful if they cannot settle themselves. Standing is the requirement that a person be legally entitled to ask a court to decide a dispute.
Judge Jennifer L. Rochon ordered the parties to file a joint letter within 45 days after service stating whether they settled. If they did not settle, the letter must request mediation or a magistrate-judge settlement conference, or ask the court to schedule an initial status conference. The order did not decide the merits of the case.
The detailed version
- Sumlin v. Dream Projects, LLC · No. 1:25-cv-01591
- Rochon
- Feb. 26, 2025
Nature of the Order
This is a case-management and settlement order, not a decision on the parties’ underlying legal claims. Dennis Sumlin sued Dream Projects, LLC on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated.
Required Settlement Discussions
The court ordered the parties to meet and confer within 30 days after service of the summons and complaint. They must meet for at least one hour and make a good-faith attempt to settle the action. During those discussions, they must consider whether the plaintiff has satisfied the threshold requirement of standing—the legal requirement that a plaintiff be entitled to bring the dispute in court. The order cited decisions from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit concerning standing.
If the parties cannot settle on their own, they must also discuss whether additional settlement discussions through the court-annexed mediation program or before a magistrate judge would be productive at that time.
Joint Letter and Disposition
Within 15 additional days—45 days after service of the summons and complaint—the parties must submit a joint letter telling the court whether they settled. If they did not settle, the letter must request either referral to mediation or to a magistrate judge for a settlement conference, while stating their preference, or an initial status conference.
Judge Jennifer L. Rochon entered the order on February 26, 2025. The order did not resolve standing or any other merits issue, and it did not state a disposition of the claims.
Read the full 1-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.