Guerrero v. Marquez Hass Holdings LLC

Background

Pablo Guerrero brought this wage-and-hour damages action individually and on behalf of others similarly situated against Marquez Hass Holdings LLC, doing business as Dulce Vida Latin Bistro and also known as Dulce Vida Cafe, and Maria Marquez. The claims arose under the Fair Labor Standards Act and New York Labor Law.

Settlement Review

The parties jointly asked the court to approve their settlement agreement and submitted a fully executed copy. The court explained that it had to determine whether the settlement was fair and reasonable and resulted from arm’s-length negotiations rather than employer overreaching.

The court reviewed the settlement agreement and the parties’ letter. It considered, among other things, prior proceedings in the case; the risks, burdens, and costs of continuing the litigation; the possible range of recovery; whether the agreement resulted from arm’s-length bargaining; the attorney-fee amount; and the possibility of fraud or collusion. The court noted that the agreement had no confidentiality restrictions, included a mutual non-disparagement provision with an exception for truthful statements, narrowly limited the release to wage-and-hour claims, and provided attorney fees within a fair and reasonable range.

Ruling

Judge Robert W. Lehrburger found the settlement agreement fair and reasonable and approved it. Because the case had been resolved by settlement, the court dismissed and discontinued it in its entirety, with prejudice, without costs or fees to any party except as provided in the settlement agreement. The court directed the Clerk of Court to terminate all motions and deadlines and close the case.