Santana v. PUNY Corp
- Robert Lehrburger
- 1:20-cv-01578
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In Santana v. PUNY Corp, Judge Lehrburger approved the Fair Labor Standards Act settlement as fair and reasonable and closed the case.
Anyeliza Santana, PUNY Corp, the other defendants, and the parties’ attorneys were affected by the approved settlement and the closing of the case.
What happened
Santana v. PUNY Corp is an action seeking damages under the Fair Labor Standards Act and New York Labor Law. The parties jointly asked the court to approve their settlement agreement.
The court reviewed the settlement’s fairness, including the risks and costs of continuing the case, possible recovery, negotiations, attorneys’ fees, and potential fraud or collusion. It also noted that the agreement had no confidentiality restrictions and narrowly released claims related to the litigation.
Judge Robert W. Lehrburger found the settlement fair and reasonable and approved it. The court directed the Clerk of Court to terminate all motions and deadlines and close the case.
The detailed version
- Santana v. PUNY Corp · No. 1:20-cv-01578
- Robert Lehrburger
- Aug. 11, 2020
Background
Anyeliza Santana brought an action for damages against PUNY Corp and other defendants under the Fair Labor Standards Act, 29 U.S.C. § 201 et seq., and the New York Labor Law. The parties submitted a joint letter asking the court to approve their settlement agreement. A fully executed copy of the agreement was submitted on July 19, 2020.
Settlement Review
The court explained that a federal court must determine whether an agreement settling a Fair Labor Standards Act case is fair, reasonable, and the product of arm’s-length negotiations rather than employer overreaching. In reviewing the agreement, the court considered the prior proceedings, the risks, burdens, and costs of continuing the case, the possible range of recovery, the nature of the negotiations, the attorneys’ fees, and the possibility of fraud or collusion.
The court also noted that the agreement contained no confidentiality restrictions, its release was narrowly tailored to the claims in the litigation, and the attorneys’ fees were within a fair, reasonable, and acceptable range.
Ruling
Judge Robert W. Lehrburger found the settlement agreement fair and reasonable and approved it. The court directed the Clerk of Court to terminate all motions and deadlines and close the case.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.