Sookul v. Resident Home LLC
- Rochon
- 1:23-cv-08132
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 1
In Sookul v. Resident Home, Judge Rochon ordered settlement discussions and a joint status letter, while raising standing as a discussion topic.
The plaintiff, Sanjay Sookul, and the defendant, Resident Home LLC, must comply with the settlement-discussion and joint-letter requirements.
What happened
In Sookul v. Resident Home LLC, the court ordered the parties to meet and discuss settlement within 30 days after service of the summons and complaint. They must make a good-faith effort lasting at least one hour and consider whether the plaintiff has standing to bring the case.
Within 15 more days, the parties must file a joint letter stating whether they settled. If they did not, the letter must ask the court to refer the case to mediation or a settlement conference with a magistrate judge, or to schedule an initial status conference.
Judge Jennifer L. Rochon did not decide whether the plaintiff has standing or rule on the merits of the case; the order only set settlement and case-management requirements.
The detailed version
- Sookul v. Resident Home LLC · No. 1:23-cv-08132
- Rochon
- Sept. 19, 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. The meeting must be a good-faith attempt to settle the action.
The parties must discuss whether the plaintiff has satisfied the threshold requirement of standing, meaning whether he has the legal basis to bring the case in federal court. The order cited two Second Circuit decisions concerning standing, but it did not decide whether standing exists here.
Further Filing and Next Steps
Within 15 additional days—45 days after service of the summons and complaint—the parties must submit a joint letter telling the court whether they settled. If they have not settled, they must request either referral to the court's mediation program or a settlement conference before a magistrate judge, and state which option they prefer, or ask the court to proceed with an initial status conference.
What the Order Decided
The order set settlement and case-management requirements. It did not resolve the standing issue, decide any claim, or determine the merits of the action.
Read the full 1-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.