Bishop v. Woodstream Corporation
Cedric Bishop, on behalf of himself and all other persons similarly situated v. Woodstream Corporation
- Tarnofsky
- 1:25-cv-07298
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 1
In Bishop v. Woodstream, Judge Tarnofsky ordered early settlement discussions and a joint status letter without deciding the case’s merits.
Cedric Bishop, Woodstream Corporation, and the other persons identified in the caption as similarly situated; the order directs the plaintiff and defendant to undertake settlement and case-management steps.
What happened
In Cedric Bishop v. Woodstream Corporation, the court ordered the plaintiff and defendant to meet for at least one hour within 21 days after service of the summons and complaint. They must make a good-faith effort to settle the case.
The parties must discuss whether Bishop has met the requirement of having standing to sue. If they cannot settle, they must also discuss whether court-connected mediation or a settlement conference would be useful. Within 28 days after service, they must send a joint letter reporting whether they settled and, if not, requesting mediation, a settlement conference, or an initial case-management conference.
Judge Robyn F. Tarnofsky issued the order on September 9, 2025. The order does not decide standing, class certification, liability, or any other merits issue.
The detailed version
- Bishop v. Woodstream Corporation · No. 1:25-cv-07298
- Tarnofsky
- Sept. 9, 2025
Order
The court ordered Cedric Bishop and Woodstream Corporation to meet and confer for at least one hour within 21 days after service of the summons and complaint. The meeting must be a good-faith attempt to settle the action.
Issues for Discussion
The parties must consider whether Bishop has satisfied the threshold requirement of standing, meaning the requirement that he be legally entitled to bring the case. The order cites Second Circuit decisions concerning standing but does not decide whether Bishop has standing.
If the parties cannot settle on their own, they must also discuss whether further settlement discussions through the District’s court-annexed mediation program or a settlement conference before Judge Tarnofsky would be productive at that time.
Joint Letter and Next Steps
Within 28 days after service of the summons and complaint, the parties must submit a joint letter telling the court whether they have settled. If they have not settled, the letter must request one of three options: referral to mediation, a date for a settlement conference, or an initial case-management conference.
The order does not rule on the merits of Bishop’s claims, determine standing, certify a class, or decide liability.
Read the full 1-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.