Kotze v. NBCUniversal Media, LLC
- Vargas
- 1:25-cv-04703
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 4
In Kotze v. NBCUniversal Media, Judge Vargas ordered Marshals service for NBC and required Kotze to provide addresses for nine other defendants.
Emile Petrus Kotze must provide service information for nine defendants within 30 days; the Clerk and U.S. Marshals Service must process service for NBC Universal Media, LLC and, after receiving the forms, the other defendants.
What happened
In Kotze v. NBCUniversal Media, LLC, Emile Petrus Kotze sued several companies and individuals under federal employment and other laws, representing himself. The court had already allowed him to proceed without paying filing fees.
The court ordered the Clerk to issue a summons and arrange U.S. Marshals Service for NBC Universal Media, LLC. Because Kotze had not supplied service addresses for nine other defendants, the court ordered the Clerk to send him service forms for those defendants.
Within 30 days, Kotze must complete and return a form for each defendant lacking an address. Judge Jeannette A. Vargas also stated that service must generally occur within 90 days after a summons is issued and that Kotze may request more time if necessary.
The detailed version
- Kotze v. NBCUniversal Media, LLC · No. 1:25-cv-04703
- Vargas
- June 18, 2025
Background
Emile Petrus Kotze filed this action without a lawyer against NBC Universal Media, LLC; Bravo Media, LLC; 51 Minds Entertainment, LLC; Banijay Americas; Endemol Shine North America, Inc.; Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.; Mark Cronin; Courtland Cox; Lisa Lopez; Brenda Lacy Davis; and Does 1–10. He asserted claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021, the Jones Act, and state law. In an earlier order dated June 18, 2025, the court allowed him to proceed without paying filing fees.
Service on NBC Universal Media, LLC
Because Kotze was allowed to proceed without paying filing fees, the court stated that he was entitled to assistance from the court and the U.S. Marshals Service in serving the defendants. The Clerk was instructed to complete a U.S. Marshals Service Process Receipt and Return form for NBC Universal Media, LLC, issue a summons, and deliver the necessary documents to the Marshals Service. The order identifies NBC Universal Media, LLC’s service address as 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, New York 10112.
The court explained that service must occur within 90 days after the summons is issued. If the complaint is not served within that period, Kotze should request an extension of time. The court also required him to notify the court in writing if his address changes and stated that the action may be dismissed if he fails to do so.
Service on the Other Defendants
Kotze had not provided service addresses for Bravo Media, LLC; 51 Minds Entertainment, LLC; Banijay Americas; Endemol Shine North America, Inc.; Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.; Mark Cronin; Courtland Cox; Lisa Lopez; and Brenda Lacy Davis. The Clerk was instructed to mail Kotze one service form for each of those nine defendants. Kotze must complete and return each form to the court within 30 days of the order’s date. After receiving the completed forms, the Clerk must issue the summonses and deliver the necessary documents to the Marshals Service.
Disposition
The court entered an order directing the Clerk to arrange service on NBC Universal Media, LLC and requiring Kotze to provide service information for the other nine defendants. The order did not decide the merits of Kotze’s claims. Judge Jeannette A. Vargas also stated that Kotze could consent to receiving court documents by email, in which case he would no longer receive them by regular mail.
Read the full 4-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.