Lopez v. Kinnls Inc.
- Rochon
- 1:25-cv-06800
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 1
In Lopez v. Kinnls Inc., Judge Rochon ordered settlement discussions and a joint status letter without deciding the case’s merits.
Victor Lopez, the similarly situated people he seeks to represent, and Kinnls Inc.; the order also directs the parties and their counsel to take specified settlement and case-management steps.
What happened
Lopez v. Kinnls Inc. is a case brought by Victor Lopez on behalf of himself and similarly situated people against Kinnls Inc. The court ordered the parties to meet for at least one hour within 30 days after service of the summons and complaint and to make a good-faith effort to settle.
The parties must consider whether Lopez has standing, meaning a sufficient legal connection to bring the case. If they cannot settle, they must also discuss whether court-connected mediation or a settlement conference before a magistrate judge would be useful.
Within 15 more days, the parties must file a joint letter reporting whether they settled. Judge Jennifer L. Rochon ordered that, 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 standing or the merits of the claims.
The detailed version
- Lopez v. Kinnls Inc. · No. 1:25-cv-06800
- Rochon
- Aug. 19, 2025
Order
The court ordered the parties to meet and confer within 30 days after service of the summons and complaint. The meeting must last at least one hour and must be a good-faith effort to settle the action.
Standing Discussion
The parties must consider whether Victor Lopez has standing, meaning whether he has the legally required connection to the dispute to bring the case. The order cited Second Circuit decisions concerning standing but did not decide whether Lopez has standing.
Further Settlement Steps
If the parties cannot settle the case themselves, they must discuss whether additional settlement discussions through the court’s mediation program or before a magistrate judge would be productive at that time.
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 a magistrate judge for a settlement conference, with a preference stated between those options, or an initial status conference.
Disposition and Scope
The court entered a case-management and settlement order. It did not resolve the standing issue, the merits of Lopez’s claims, or any claims against Kinnls Inc.
Read the full 1-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.