Danso v. Hester & Cook Design Group, Inc.
- Tarnofsky
- 1:24-cv-00203
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 1
In Danso v. Hester & Cook, Judge Tarnofsky ordered the parties to discuss settlement, standing, and next steps.
Charity Danso and Hester & Cook Design Group, Inc., which must comply with the ordered settlement discussions and joint-letter requirement.
What happened
Danso v. Hester & Cook Design Group, Inc. is a lawsuit brought by Charity Danso against Hester & Cook Design Group, Inc. The order does not describe the underlying claims.
The court ordered both parties to meet for at least one hour within 30 days after the summons and complaint are served and make a good-faith effort to settle. They must discuss whether Danso has met the basic requirement of having standing to sue, and whether additional mediation or a settlement conference would help.
Within 45 days after service, the parties must send a joint letter stating whether they settled. If not, they must ask the court to refer the case to mediation, schedule a settlement conference, or hold an initial case-management conference. Judge Robyn F. Tarnofsky issued the order.
The detailed version
- Danso v. Hester & Cook Design Group, Inc. · No. 1:24-cv-00203
- Tarnofsky
- Jan. 17, 2024
Order
The court ordered Charity Danso and Hester & Cook Design Group, Inc. 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 case.
The parties must discuss whether Danso has satisfied the threshold requirement of standing, meaning the basic legal requirement that a plaintiff be entitled to bring the lawsuit. If they cannot settle the case themselves, they must also discuss whether further discussions through the court's mediation program or before Judge Tarnofsky would be productive at that time.
Required joint letter
Within 45 days after service of the summons and complaint, the parties must submit a joint letter telling the court whether they settled. If they did not settle, the letter must ask the court to do one of three things: refer the case to mediation, set a settlement-conference date, or proceed with an initial case-management conference.
Disposition and scope
This is a case-management and settlement order. The court did not decide standing, the underlying claims, or the merits of the lawsuit. The order requires the specified discussions and joint letter but does not grant or deny a merits motion.
Read the full 1-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.