Velasquez v. Smoke Zone Plus Corp.
- Clarke
- 1:22-cv-08591
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 3
In Velasquez v. Smoke Zone Plus Corp., Judge Clarke reassigned the case, rescheduled a status conference, and ordered a joint case-update letter.
Ricardo Velasquez, Smoke Zone Plus Corp., 223 E. 14 ST. LLC, and their counsel are affected by the reassignment, conference schedule, joint-letter requirement, and procedures for requesting extensions or adjournments.
What happened
Velasquez v. Smoke Zone Plus Corp. was reassigned to Judge Jessica G. L. Clarke. The court said that all earlier orders, dates, and deadlines would remain in effect unless changed, except for the status conference date.
The court moved the conference from October 11, 2023, to October 17, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. It will be held remotely through Microsoft Teams. The parties must file a joint letter no later than one week before the conference, covering the case’s status, jurisdiction, deadlines, motions, discovery, settlement, and trial-related information.
Judge Clarke also explained procedures for requesting extensions or adjournments. This order changed the conference schedule and imposed case-management requirements; it did not decide the underlying claims.
The detailed version
- Velasquez v. Smoke Zone Plus Corp. · No. 1:22-cv-08591
- Clarke
- Aug. 28, 2023
Nature of the Order
This is a reassignment and case-management order, not a decision on the merits of Ricardo Velasquez’s claims against Smoke Zone Plus Corp. and 223 E. 14 ST. LLC. Judge Jessica G. L. Clarke stated that the case had been reassigned to her and that prior orders, dates, and deadlines would remain effective unless the court ordered otherwise.
Status Conference
The court rescheduled the status conference from October 11, 2023, to October 17, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. The conference will take place remotely through Microsoft Teams before Judge Clarke.
Required Joint Letter
The parties 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, except that lengthy citizenship information may be placed in an appendix. The letter must address counsel’s contact information, the nature and major issues of the case, the basis for federal jurisdiction and venue, deadlines, prior and pending conferences, outstanding motions, appeals, completed and remaining discovery, settlement discussions, possible alternative dispute-resolution methods, estimated trial length, and other information that could help move the case toward settlement or trial.
The letter replaces a previously requested letter under ECF No. 19. If the case has already been settled or otherwise terminated and proof of termination is filed before the deadline, counsel need not file the letter or appear at the conference.
Extensions and Adjournments
The court stated that requests to extend a deadline or adjourn a conference must be made by a letter-motion filed electronically at least 48 hours before the relevant deadline or conference. The request must include the original and requested new dates, information about earlier requests, the reason for the request, the opposing party’s position, and other applicable scheduling information.
Disposition and Effect
The court did not grant or deny a merits motion and did not resolve the parties’ underlying claims. It kept the existing case schedule in place subject to the stated change, rescheduled the status conference, and ordered the joint status letter.
Read the full 3-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.