NY Daily Newswire, LLC v. Screenprism Media, Inc.

Background

On March 31, 2025, NY Daily Newswire, LLC filed a motion seeking default judgment against Screenprism Media, Inc. under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 55(b)(2) and the Southern District of New York's local rule concerning default judgments. The opinion does not state the facts underlying the lawsuit or why NY Daily Newswire sought default judgment.

Court's Orders

The court ordered Screenprism to file any opposition to the motion by April 23, 2025. It cautioned that a corporation may appear in federal court only through a licensed lawyer and stated that a default judgment may be entered against a corporation that repeatedly fails to appear through counsel.

The court also ordered Screenprism to appear and explain on May 8, 2025, why default judgment should not be entered. The hearing was scheduled to take place remotely by telephone unless the court ordered otherwise.

If Screenprism appeared, opposed the motion, or requested an extension of time to respond to the complaint, the court said the conference would instead be treated as the initial pretrial conference. In that event, the parties would have to complete the court's required pre-conference procedures, including filing a joint letter and proposed case-management plan.

The court required NY Daily Newswire to serve Screenprism by overnight courier with the default-judgment motion and supporting papers, the order, and a proposed default-judgment order. NY Daily Newswire also had to file proof of each service on the docket within two business days.

Disposition

Judge Arun Subramanian scheduled briefing and a show-cause hearing concerning NY Daily Newswire's default-judgment motion. The order did not grant or deny that motion and did not enter default judgment.