Fernandez v. Villas Market Place, Inc.
- Vernon Broderick
- 1:25-cv-05512
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 1
Fernandez v. Villas Market Place: Judge Tarnofsky ordered settlement discussions and a joint status letter, without deciding the case’s merits.
Felipe Fernandez and Villas Market Place, Inc.; the order also concerns the proposed group of similarly situated people identified in the complaint.
What happened
In Fernandez v. Villas Market Place, Inc., the court ordered Felipe Fernandez and Villas Market Place, Inc. to meet for at least one hour within 21 days after the summons and complaint are served. They must make a good-faith effort to settle and discuss whether Fernandez meets the required standing threshold.
If the parties cannot settle, they must also discuss whether court-annexed mediation or a settlement conference would be useful. Within 28 days after service, they must submit a joint letter stating whether they settled.
The court did not decide standing or any other merits issue. The letter must ask Judge Robyn F. Tarnofsky to refer the case to mediation, schedule a settlement conference, or hold an initial case-management conference.
The detailed version
- Fernandez v. Villas Market Place, Inc. · No. 1:25-cv-05512
- Vernon Broderick
- July 9, 2025
Order
The court ordered Plaintiff Felipe Fernandez and Defendant Villas Market Place, Inc. to meet and confer within 21 days after service of the summons and complaint. The parties must meet for at least one hour and make a good-faith effort to settle the action.
During those discussions, the parties should consider whether Fernandez has satisfied the threshold requirement of standing, meaning whether he has the required legal basis to bring the case. If they cannot settle, they must also discuss whether additional discussions through the court’s mediation program or a settlement conference before Judge Tarnofsky would be productive.
Within 28 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 one of three options: referral to mediation, a settlement-conference date, or an initial case-management conference. The order does not decide standing, liability, or any other merits issue.
Read the full 1-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.