Jimenez v. GLM Associates, Inc.
- Robert Lehrburger
- 1:22-cv-08301
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 3
Jiminez v. GLM Associates, Inc.: Magistrate Judge Lehrburger approved the settlement and dismissed the Fair Labor Standards Act case with prejudice.
Manuel Jiminez, GLM Associates, Inc., and 585 East 137th Street LLC. The approved settlement sets payment, apartment-vacancy, release, attorney’s-fee, cost-reimbursement, and enforcement terms for these parties.
What happened
Manuel Jiminez brought this damages case under the Fair Labor Standards Act and New York Labor Law against GLM Associates, Inc. and 585 East 137th Street LLC. At a settlement conference, the parties and their lawyers agreed to all material settlement terms.
The defendants agreed to pay Jiminez $27,000 in four installments. Jiminez agreed to vacate the apartment he occupied in the defendants’ building by May 1, 2023, and released wage-and-hour and apartment-related claims through the settlement’s approval. The defendants did not admit liability; one-third of the settlement was allocated to attorney’s fees, and $552 was allocated to costs.
Magistrate Judge Robert W. Lehrburger found the agreement fair and reasonable and approved it. He dismissed and discontinued the case in its entirety with prejudice, retained jurisdiction to enforce the agreement, terminated the remaining motions and deadlines, and directed that the case be closed.
The detailed version
- Jimenez v. GLM Associates, Inc. · No. 1:22-cv-08301
- Robert Lehrburger
- Mar. 22, 2023
Background
The case sought damages under the Fair Labor Standards Act and the New York Labor Law. On January 26, 2023, the court held a settlement conference by Microsoft Teams. The parties and their attorneys agreed to all material settlement terms and placed their agreement on the record.
After the conference, the defendants attempted to add provisions that were not part of the agreement. The court ruled that, because the parties had already agreed to all material terms, the defendants were not entitled to renegotiate the settlement.
Settlement Terms
The defendants agreed to pay Manuel Jiminez $27,000 in four installments: $10,000 within 30 days after approval; $4,000 within 60 days; $4,000 within 90 days; and $9,000 within five days after Jiminez vacated the apartment he occupied in the defendants’ building. Jiminez was required to vacate the apartment no later than May 1, 2023.
The defendants made no admission of liability. Jiminez released the defendants from all wage-and-hour claims and all claims concerning his occupation of the apartment, whether known or unknown, through the time the settlement was approved. The parties agreed that the case would be dismissed with prejudice and that the court would retain jurisdiction to enforce the agreement. One-third of the settlement amount was allocated to Jiminez’s attorneys as reasonable attorney’s fees, and $552 was allocated to reimbursement of costs.
Court’s Analysis
The court reviewed the fairness letter submitted by Jiminez and considered the settlement under the standard requiring approval of Fair Labor Standards Act settlements. It considered, among other factors, the prior proceedings; the risks, burdens, and costs of continuing the case; the possible recovery; the parties’ bargaining process and legal representation; attorney’s fees; and the possibility of fraud or collusion.
The court found that the settlement was fair and reasonable, resulted from arm’s-length negotiation, and did not reflect employer overreaching.
Disposition
Judge Robert W. Lehrburger approved the Settlement Agreement and dismissed and discontinued the case in its entirety, with prejudice, without costs or fees to any party except as provided in the agreement. The court retained jurisdiction to enforce the agreement, terminated all motions and deadlines, and directed the Clerk of Court to close the case.
Read the full 3-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.