Sunlight Financial LLC v. Hinkle
- Jesse Furman
- 1:21-cv-06680
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In Sunlight Financial v. Hinkle, Judge Furman reassigned the case and ordered counsel to file a joint status letter by April 18, 2022.
The parties and their counsel were required to provide the joint status update and comply with the existing deadlines and procedures for seeking extensions or adjournments.
What happened
In Sunlight Financial LLC et al. v. Samuel Duncan Hinkle et al., the case was reassigned to Judge Jesse M. Furman. The court kept existing deadlines in place, but adjourned scheduled conferences or arguments before Judge Furman pending further order, except appearances before the assigned magistrate judge.
The court ordered the parties to file a joint letter by April 18, 2022. The letter must update the court about counsel, the case and defenses, jurisdiction and venue, deadlines, conferences, motions, appeals, discovery, settlement discussions, alternative dispute resolution, the expected trial length, and other information that could help move the case toward settlement or trial.
The order also explained how to request an extension or adjournment and said that a scheduled conference would occur unless the court notified counsel otherwise. Judge Furman issued this case-management order without deciding the underlying dispute.
The detailed version
- Sunlight Financial LLC v. Hinkle · No. 1:21-cv-06680
- Jesse Furman
- Apr. 11, 2022
Background
The case was reassigned to Jesse M. Furman, United States District Judge. The order does not describe the underlying claims or defenses in detail and does not decide any disputed legal issue.
Orders concerning the case schedule
The court ordered that all existing dates and deadlines remain in effect unless the court later orders otherwise. Any currently scheduled conference or oral argument before Judge Furman was adjourned pending further order. Appearances scheduled before the assigned magistrate judge remained in effect.
Required joint status letter
The parties were ordered to file a joint letter on the court’s electronic filing system no later than April 18, 2022. The letter could not exceed five pages and had to address, in separate paragraphs:
- the names and current contact information of counsel; - the nature of the case and principal defenses; - why federal jurisdiction and venue are proper, including specified citizenship information when jurisdiction is based on diversity of citizenship; - existing deadlines and cutoff dates; - previously scheduled conferences that had not occurred; - outstanding motions and the relief sought; - pending appeals; - discovery completed, including the number of depositions taken by each party and any discovery needed for meaningful settlement discussions; - prior settlement discussions; - whether the parties had considered a settlement conference, the District’s Mediation Program, or a private mediator; - the estimated trial length; and - other information that could assist the court in moving the case toward settlement or trial, including dispositive or novel issues.
If the case had already been settled or otherwise terminated, counsel did not have to file the letter if proof of termination was filed before the deadline.
Extensions and adjournments
The court stated that requests for extensions or adjournments could be made only by a letter-motion filed electronically at least 48 hours before the deadline or conference. The request had to identify the original dates, prior requests, whether those requests were granted or denied, the opposing party’s position, and the next scheduled court appearance. Unless counsel were notified that a conference had been adjourned, it would remain scheduled.
Disposition
Judge Furman entered a procedural case-management order requiring the joint status letter and addressing deadlines and appearances. The order did not rule on the merits of the parties’ dispute.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.