Narvaez v. Hudson Park NY LLC

Background

Carlos Narvaez brought this action against Hudson Park NY LLC under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), 29 U.S.C. § 201 et seq. The parties notified the court that they had reached a settlement. The court previously directed them to submit a joint letter explaining why the proposed settlement should be approved, using the factors identified in Wolinsky v. Scholastic, Inc.

Settlement Approval

After reviewing the parties’ letter, the court found that the settlement was fair and reasonable. It considered the nature and scope of Plaintiff’s individual claim and the risks and expenses of additional litigation. The court required that any modification of the settlement agreement be approved by the court, even if the agreement purported to allow the parties to modify it without court approval.

Attorney’s Fees and Costs

Plaintiff sought approval of $3,150.40 in attorney’s fees and costs. The court noted that the proposed fee was high compared with the size of Plaintiff’s claim and recovery, but found no reason to reduce it because there were no opt-in plaintiffs, the case was not a collective action, and the fee award was based on an agreement between Plaintiff and counsel. The court concluded that a fee equal to one-third of the recovery was appropriate under cited precedent. It expressly made no findings about the reasonableness of counsel’s hourly rate or the number of hours counsel worked.

Disposition

Judge Jesse M. Furman approved the settlement subject to the court-approval condition for any modification. The court dismissed the case with prejudice. It also ruled that all pending motions were moot, canceled the initial pretrial conference scheduled for May 21, 2025, and directed the clerk to close the case.