Castro v. ProSynthesis Laboratories, Inc.
- Rochon
- 1:23-cv-06292
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 1
In Castro v. ProSynthesis Laboratories, Judge Rochon ordered the parties to discuss settlement and possible standing issues, then report whether they settled.
The plaintiffs, including Felix Castro, and ProSynthesis Laboratories, Inc., are required to participate in the settlement discussions and submit the joint letter.
What happened
In Castro v. ProSynthesis Laboratories, Inc., the court ordered the parties to meet and discuss settling the case. The court also directed them to consider whether the plaintiff met the basic legal requirement of standing, but it did not decide that issue.
Within 30 days after the summons and complaint are served, the parties must meet for at least one hour and make a good-faith effort to settle. If they cannot settle, they must discuss whether mediation through the court or a settlement conference with a magistrate judge could help.
The parties must jointly tell the court within 45 days after service whether they settled. If not, they must ask for mediation or a magistrate-judge settlement conference, stating which they prefer, or request an initial status conference. Judge Rochon issued this order on July 25, 2023.
The detailed version
- Castro v. ProSynthesis Laboratories, Inc. · No. 1:23-cv-06292
- Rochon
- July 25, 2023
Order
The court ordered the parties to meet and confer for at least one hour within 30 days after service of the summons and complaint. They must make a good-faith effort to settle the action.
Standing Discussion
During those discussions, the parties should consider whether the plaintiff has satisfied the threshold requirement of standing, meaning the legal requirement that a plaintiff be entitled to ask a federal court to decide the dispute. The order cites decisions from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit concerning standing. The court did not decide whether standing exists.
Further Settlement Process
If the parties cannot settle on their own, they must discuss whether additional settlement efforts through the court’s mediation program or before a magistrate judge would be productive at that time.
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 magistrate judge for a settlement conference, with a preference between those options, or an initial status conference.
The opinion is a procedural order directing settlement-related steps. It does not resolve the merits of the claims or decide standing.
Read the full 1-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.