Norris v. The Headless Widow LLC
- Rochon
- 1:23-cv-00306
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 1
In Namel Norris v. The Headless Widow LLC, Judge Rochon ordered the parties to discuss settlement and standing, then jointly report whether to mediate or hold a status conference.
Namel Norris, The Headless Widow LLC, and the other defendants are affected by the settlement discussions, standing discussion, reporting deadline, and possible referral or status conference.
What happened
Namel Norris sued The Headless Widow LLC and other defendants. The court ordered the parties to meet for at least one hour within 30 days after the summons and complaint were served and make a good-faith effort to settle.
During that meeting, the parties must discuss whether Norris has satisfied the basic requirement of having standing to bring the case. If they cannot settle, they must also discuss whether mediation or a settlement conference with a magistrate judge would be useful.
Within 45 days after service, the parties must submit a joint letter stating whether they settled. If not, they must ask the court either to refer the case to mediation or a magistrate judge, or to schedule an initial status conference. Judge Jennifer L. Rochon issued this order on January 17, 2023.
The detailed version
- Norris v. The Headless Widow LLC · No. 1:23-cv-00306
- Rochon
- Jan. 17, 2023
Order
The court ordered the parties to meet and confer—that is, discuss the case directly—in a good-faith attempt to settle the action. The meeting must last at least one hour and must occur within 30 days after service of the summons and complaint.
Standing and Settlement Discussions
The parties must consider whether the plaintiff has satisfied the threshold requirement of standing, meaning the legal requirement to show that the plaintiff is entitled to bring the case. If the parties cannot settle on their own, they must also discuss whether further settlement efforts through the court's mediation program or before a magistrate judge would be productive.
Required Joint Letter
Within 15 additional days—45 days after service of the summons and complaint—the parties must submit a joint letter stating whether they settled. If they did not settle, the letter must request either referral to mediation or a settlement conference before a magistrate judge, with a preference identified, or an initial status conference.
The order establishes settlement-related deadlines and procedures. It does not decide the standing issue or the underlying claims.
Read the full 1-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.