Sookul v. Maceoo LLC
- Jesse Furman
- 1:24-cv-02175
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 1
In Sookul v. Maceoo LLC, Judge Tarnofsky ordered settlement discussions and a joint update without deciding standing or the case’s merits.
Sanjay Sookul and Maceoo LLC must participate in the ordered settlement discussions and jointly report to the court.
What happened
In Sookul v. Maceoo LLC, the court ordered Sanjay Sookul and Maceoo LLC to meet for at least one hour within 30 days after the summons and complaint were served. They must make a good-faith effort to settle the case.
The parties must discuss whether Sookul has met the basic requirement of having standing to bring the case. If they cannot settle, they must also discuss whether court-connected mediation or a settlement conference would be useful.
Within 45 days after service, the parties must jointly tell the court 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. Magistrate Judge Robyn F. Tarnofsky did not decide standing or the merits of the case.
The detailed version
- Sookul v. Maceoo LLC · No. 1:24-cv-02175
- Jesse Furman
- Mar. 27, 2024
Background
The order concerns an action brought by Sanjay Sookul against Maceoo LLC. The court did not describe the underlying claims in this order.
Orders to the Parties
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 include a good-faith attempt to settle the action.
The parties were directed to consider whether Sookul satisfied the threshold requirement of standing, meaning whether he has the legal basis required to bring the case. The order cited Second Circuit decisions concerning standing. If the parties could not settle on their own, they were also required to discuss whether additional settlement discussions through the court’s court-annexed mediation program or before Magistrate 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 request one of three options: referral to mediation, a date for a settlement conference, or an initial case-management conference.
Disposition and Effect
The court entered a settlement-related procedural order. It did not decide whether Sookul has standing, resolve any underlying claim, or otherwise rule on the merits.
Read the full 1-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.