Marianne Hicks v. Leslie Feely Fine Art, LLC

Background

Plaintiff Marianne Hicks’s letter asked the court for an expedited teleconference under the federal discovery rules and the court’s local procedures. Hicks alleged that Leslie Feely Fine Art, LLC sold her a painting while falsely representing that the late artist Friedel Dzubas had authored it. The letter states that Hicks asserted a conversion claim against Leslie Feely Fine Art, LLC and an unidentified buyer referred to as John Doe, and a replevin claim against John Doe.

The letter said Defendant had a pending motion to dismiss arguing that the painting’s value was below the $75,000 amount-in-controversy requirement for diversity jurisdiction. Hicks requested discovery about the buyer’s identity, any resale, appraisals, correspondence, and other information bearing on the painting’s value. She also requested an order compelling Defendant to provide the withheld information and extending her deadline to oppose the motion to dismiss until 14 days after any ordered discovery was produced.

Order

The court’s endorsement states: “Defendant is directed to respond by Monday, June 15, 2020.” It then states, “It is SO ORDERED,” and is signed by Edgardo Ramos, United States District Judge, with a date of June 11, 2020.

The provided text does not state that the court granted or denied the requested teleconference, motion to compel, or deadline extension. It also does not decide the pending motion to dismiss, the amount in controversy, the painting’s value, or the merits of Hicks’s claims.

Classification

This is a procedural order concerning discovery. The court directed a response to a discovery-dispute request but did not resolve the underlying claims or the pending dismissal motion.