Brown v. StagedNYC, LLC
- Stewart Aaron
- 1:23-cv-07995
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In Brown v. StagedNYC, Judge Aaron required settlement filings addressing fairness of the Fair Labor Standards Act claims.
Adrian Brown, StagedNYC LLC, and Debra Jo Jackson; the order also required information about the attorneys’ fees and work.
What happened
Adrian Brown sued StagedNYC LLC and Debra Jo Jackson, and the court was told that the parties had reached a settlement involving claims under the Fair Labor Standards Act, a federal wage law.
The parties agreed that all proceedings would be before the judge. The court ordered them to file a joint letter or motion explaining whether the settlement was fair and reasonable by February 7, 2024.
Judge Stewart D. Aaron also required information about the claims, defenses, potential damages, negotiations, attorney fees and hours, the retainer agreement, and the settlement agreement itself. The order did not approve or reject the settlement.
The detailed version
- Brown v. StagedNYC, LLC · No. 1:23-cv-07995
- Stewart Aaron
- Jan. 24, 2024
Background
Adrian Brown brought this case against StagedNYC LLC and Debra Jo Jackson. The court stated that the case includes one or more claims under the Fair Labor Standards Act, a federal law governing certain wages and working conditions. On January 2, 2024, the court was informed that the parties had reached a settlement. The parties later agreed that all proceedings would be held before Stewart D. Aaron.
Required Settlement Filing
Because federal law in the Second Circuit requires court review of settlements resolving Fair Labor Standards Act claims, the court ordered the parties to file a joint letter or motion addressing whether their settlement was fair and reasonable. The filing was due February 7, 2024.
The court required the filing to discuss the claims and defenses, the defendants’ potential financial exposure and the basis for calculating it, the strengths and weaknesses of Brown’s case and the defendants’ defenses, reasons for any difference between the potential value of the claims and the settlement amount, the litigation and negotiation process, and other relevant issues, including whether a judgment would be collectible if the case went to trial. The parties also had to explain the attorney-fee arrangement, attach the retainer agreement, provide the attorneys’ hours and relevant experience, and attach the settlement agreement.
Disposition
Judge Stewart D. Aaron ordered the parties to submit the specified joint letter or motion. The order did not state whether the settlement was approved or rejected, and it did not disclose the settlement amount.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.