Curet v. MISA Plumbing, LLC

Background

The court stated that it had been reported that this Fair Labor Standards Act case had been settled. The opinion does not provide the settlement amount or other settlement terms.

Court’s Order

The court ordered the parties to take one of two actions no later than July 10, 2023:

1. They could consent to conducting all further proceedings before Magistrate Judge Willis by completing the required consent form. The court noted that choosing not to proceed before Judge Willis would not result in adverse substantive consequences. 2. They could submit a joint letter explaining why their settlement was fair and reasonable and should be approved. The letter had to include necessary supporting materials, including contemporaneous billing records for the attorney’s fees and costs provided for in the settlement agreement.

The court advised that materials on which it relied in deciding whether the settlement was fair could be filed on the public docket because judicial documents are generally presumed to be publicly accessible.

The court also stated that it would not approve settlement agreements in which plaintiffs broadly waived practically any possible claim against the defendants, including unrelated or unknown claims. It further stated that it would not approve agreements barring plaintiffs from making negative statements about the defendants unless the agreement allowed truthful statements about the plaintiffs’ experience litigating the case.

Disposition

The court entered this order concerning the reported settlement and the parties’ next required steps. It did not state that it approved or rejected the settlement. Judge Ronnie Abrams signed the order on June 9, 2023.