Soto v. Annal Management Co. Ltd.

Background

The case was reassigned to Judge Jessica G. L. Clarke. The court stated that, unless it ordered otherwise, all prior orders, dates, and deadlines would remain in effect after reassignment.

Rulings and Case Management Requirements

The court granted Annal Management Co. Ltd.’s request, made in a July 6, 2023 letter-motion, for an extension until August 4, 2023, to respond to the complaint. The court also acknowledged receipt of the defendant’s July 25, 2023 letter-motion and directed the parties to Rule 4(k) of the court’s individual rules for further instructions.

The court ordered counsel for all parties to appear remotely by Microsoft Teams for a conference on November 7, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. Counsel must file a joint letter on the court’s electronic filing system no later than one week before the conference. The letter may not exceed five pages and must address whether an initial pretrial conference is necessary, the nature of the action and principal defenses, the important legal and factual issues, the basis for jurisdiction and venue, existing deadlines, outstanding motions, completed and needed discovery, the status of settlement discussions, and other information useful to moving the case toward settlement or trial.

If the case was settled or otherwise terminated before the conference, counsel would not need to file the joint letter or appear, provided that proof of termination was filed on the docket. The court also stated that requests for an extension or adjournment must be filed as letter-motions at least 48 hours before the relevant deadline or conference and must include specified information about the request and any prior requests.

Disposition and Significance

This was a procedural case-management order. The court granted the defendant’s request for additional time to respond and set scheduling and reporting requirements, but did not decide the merits of the lawsuit.