Hooks v. The City of New York

Background

The opinion is a case-management order in an action brought by Wesley Alexander Hooks against The City of New York and other defendants listed in the caption. The opinion does not explain the underlying claims or the parties’ merits positions.

On March 23, 2022, The City of New York filed a motion to stay, meaning to pause, the action while Hooks’s underlying criminal proceeding was resolved. The court set April 15, 2022, as the deadline for Hooks to respond. The response could be a letter of no more than four pages, provided it followed the court’s filing rules.

Court’s Order

The action was referred to Magistrate Judge Barbara Moses for general pretrial management under 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1)(A). The referral covers scheduling, discovery, non-dispositive pretrial motions, and settlement. Motions to dismiss, for judgment on the pleadings, for injunctive relief, for summary judgment, and for class certification were excluded from the referral.

The court instructed the parties about discovery deadlines and required discovery applications to be made promptly and to comply with the applicable local rule and Judge Moses’s individual practices. It also explained procedures for requesting extensions or adjournments, filing letters and motions, requesting permission to file materials under seal, and conducting depositions remotely.

The order notified Hooks that self-represented parties could submit filings by mail, by dropping them off at the courthouse, or by email under the court’s temporary filing procedures. It also provided information about the district’s legal clinic for people without lawyers. The Clerk was directed to mail Hooks a copy of the order.

Disposition and Scope

The court did not grant or deny the City’s motion to stay in this order. It set a deadline for Hooks’s response and established or reiterated pretrial procedures. The order therefore does not resolve the underlying claims or the pending stay request.