Gonzalez v. Hanover Ventures Marketplace LLC
Denny Gonzalez, on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated v. Hanover Ventures Marketplace LLC, d/b/a Le District, John Doe Co. 1, d/b/a HPH Hospitality, Paul Lamas, Peter Poulakakos, Nicolas Abello, and David Coucke
- Edgardo Ramos
- 1:21-cv-01347
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
Counsel of record per CourtListener. Firm names are approximate and have been consolidated across spelling variants.
In Gonzalez v. Hanover Ventures, Judge Ramos relieved defense counsel, ordered a conference, approved settlement disbursement and a cover letter, and required service.
Gonzalez, the named Defendants, their former and future counsel, and class members who may receive settlement distributions or the approved cover letter.
What happened
Denny Gonzalez v. Hanover Ventures Marketplace LLC, d/b/a Le District, and others involved a request after Defendants’ lawyer, Wayne S. Kreger, was indefinitely disbarred and did not attend a required hearing. No other defense lawyer appeared either.
The court granted Gonzalez’s requests: it relieved Kreger, ordered Defendants to attend an August 14, 2026 status conference, approved an interim settlement-fund payment and proposed letter to class members, and required Gonzalez to serve the order on Defendants.
Judge Edgardo Ramos also said the individual Defendants could appear without lawyers, but the two business entities had to appear through licensed counsel.
The detailed version
- Gonzalez v. Hanover Ventures Marketplace LLC · No. 1:21-cv-01347
- Edgardo Ramos
- July 15, 2026
Background
On February 4, 2025, Defendants’ counsel, Wayne S. Kreger, was indefinitely disbarred in New York. On June 10, 2026, the court scheduled a hearing requiring Kreger to explain why he should not be removed as Defendants’ lawyer. The court held that hearing on July 10, 2026, but neither Kreger nor any other defense counsel appeared.
On July 14, 2026, Gonzalez asked the court to remove Kreger as counsel, require Defendants to attend a later conference subject to possible monetary sanctions, approve an interim distribution of settlement funds, and approve a proposed cover letter for the settlement administrator to send to class members. The letter stated that the release of claims would not be fully effective until the final settlement distribution was made.
Rulings
The court granted the requests. It relieved Kreger as Defendants’ counsel and directed the parties to attend a status conference on August 14, 2026, at 11:30 a.m. in Courtroom 619 at 40 Centre Street, New York, New York.
Before the conference, Defendants were directed to appear through new counsel or, for individual Defendants, without counsel. The court stated that Hanover Ventures Marketplace LLC, doing business as Le District, and John Doe Company 1, doing business as HPH Hospitality, had to appear through licensed counsel because business entities cannot represent themselves in federal court.
The court also approved the interim disbursement of settlement funds and Gonzalez’s proposed cover letter. Finally, it directed Gonzalez to serve the order on all Defendants by certified mail no later than July 17, 2026, and to promptly file proof of service.
Effect of the Order
This order addresses representation, a status conference, settlement administration, and service. It does not decide the underlying claims. The opinion text does not separately state an order date; July 15, 2026 is taken from the supplied filing metadata.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.