Velasquez v. Vang Olsen
- Rochon
- 1:23-cv-09299
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 1
In Velasquez v. Vang Olsen, Judge Rochon ordered the parties to discuss settlement and standing, then report whether to mediate or hold an initial conference.
Ricardo Velasquez, Mimi Vang Olsen, and The 545 Hudson St Condominium, who must follow the court's settlement and reporting deadlines.
What happened
In Velasquez v. Vang Olsen, the court ordered the parties to try to settle the case after the summons and complaint are served.
Within 30 days of service, the parties must meet for at least one hour and discuss in good faith whether they can settle. They must also consider whether Ricardo Velasquez has standing, meaning a sufficient legal connection to bring the case. Within 45 days of service, they must file a joint letter stating whether they settled and, if not, whether they want mediation, a settlement conference with a magistrate judge, or an initial status conference.
Judge Jennifer L. Rochon issued these case-management and settlement instructions on October 24, 2023. The order did not decide whether Velasquez has standing or resolve the underlying claims.
The detailed version
- Velasquez v. Vang Olsen · No. 1:23-cv-09299
- Rochon
- Oct. 24, 2023
Order
The court ordered the parties—Ricardo Velasquez, Mimi Vang Olsen, and The 545 Hudson St Condominium—to meet and confer within 30 days after service of the summons and complaint. The meeting must last at least one hour and must be a good-faith attempt to settle the action.
Standing Issue
The parties were directed to consider whether Velasquez satisfied the threshold requirement of standing, meaning whether he has the required legal interest to bring the case. The court cited Second Circuit decisions concerning standing but did not decide the issue.
Further Settlement Proceedings
If the parties could not settle the case themselves, they were also required to discuss whether additional settlement discussions through the court's mediation program or before a magistrate judge would be productive at that time.
Joint Letter and Disposition
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 ask the court either to refer the case to mediation or to a magistrate judge for a settlement conference, while stating a preference between those options, or to proceed with an initial status conference.
The court entered settlement and case-management directions. It did not rule on standing, the merits of Velasquez's claims, or any motion.
Read the full 1-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.