Camargo v. Good Nature, Inc.

Background

On February 23, 2022, the parties consented to have a United States magistrate judge conduct all proceedings. The case was then assigned to Magistrate Judge Jennifer E. Willis. The order addresses the parties’ settlement.

Settlement-approval filing

The court ordered the parties to submit a joint motion through the court’s electronic filing system by March 17, 2022. The motion must explain why the settlement is fair and should be approved. It must address the considerations identified in Wolinsky v. Scholastic Inc. and include the settlement agreement as an exhibit.

Confidentiality and sealing

The court advised that it will not approve a settlement agreement containing a confidentiality provision. It also stated that the parties may not file settlement-evaluation materials under seal unless they first make a particularized showing that the information needs to be sealed and that showing overcomes the presumption that judicial documents should be publicly accessible.

Attorney’s fees

If the settlement includes attorney’s fees, the parties must address whether the proposed fees are reasonable under the framework identified in Goldberger v. Integrated Resources, Inc. The plaintiffs’ attorneys must also attach detailed records of the time they spent working on the case. The court noted that such records are encouraged as a cross-check even when fees are calculated as a percentage of the total settlement award.

Disposition

The court ordered the parties to submit the required joint settlement-approval motion and supporting materials. The order did not itself approve or reject the settlement. Judge Willis issued the order on February 25, 2022.