D.J. v. Spectrum
- Cisneros
- 3:24-cv-02660
- U.S. District Court · Northern District of California
- 2
In D.J. v. Spectrum, Judge Cisneros approved a $55,000 settlement for minor plaintiff D.J. after finding the recovery fair and reasonable.
Minor plaintiff D.J. is affected because the court approved the settlement on D.J.’s behalf. Spectrum must pay $55,000 under the agreement, and $19,000 of that amount will be paid to D.J.’s attorney, Nicole Hodge Amey.
What happened
D.J. v. Spectrum is a disability discrimination case involving minor plaintiff D.J. and Spectrum. The parties reached a settlement requiring Spectrum to pay $55,000, subject to court approval.
Because D.J. is a minor, the court independently reviewed whether the settlement served D.J.’s best interests. The settlement provides that $19,000 of the payment will go to D.J.’s attorney, Nicole Hodge Amey.
The court found D.J.’s net recovery fair and reasonable in light of the claims, the facts, and recoveries in similar cases. Judge J. Cisneros granted the motion and approved the settlement, ordered Spectrum to pay $55,000 under the agreement, and directed the parties to file a dismissal stipulation.
The detailed version
- D.J. v. Spectrum · No. 3:24-cv-02660
- Cisneros
- Oct. 28, 2025
Background
D.J. is a minor plaintiff in a disability discrimination case against Spectrum. The parties reached a settlement that required Spectrum to pay $55,000. The agreement allocated $19,000 of that amount to D.J.’s attorney, Nicole Hodge Amey. The settlement required court approval because D.J. is a minor.
Court’s review
The court explained that it had to independently determine whether the proposed settlement served D.J.’s best interests. It focused on the net amount D.J. would receive, considering the facts of the case, D.J.’s specific claim, and recoveries in similar cases. The court also stated that it was not required to evaluate the attorney’s fee because its review focused on the minor’s recovery.
The court had previously directed D.J. to provide additional filings through two written orders and at a hearing on October 23, 2025.
Ruling
The court found the net settlement fair and reasonable to D.J. in light of the claims, the facts, and recoveries by other plaintiffs in similar cases. Judge J. Cisneros granted the motion and approved the proposed settlement. The court ordered Spectrum to pay $55,000 under the settlement agreement and directed the parties to file a stipulation of dismissal. If the case had not been dismissed, the court scheduled a status conference for December 18, 2025.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.