Wahab v. Good Boy Bob, Inc.
- Garnett
- 1:24-cv-03784
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 1
In Wahab v. Good Boy Bob, Judge Garnett ordered settlement discussions and a joint status letter but did not decide the case’s merits.
The plaintiff, the defendant, and counsel or parties who had not yet appeared are affected by the settlement, reporting, and notice requirements.
What happened
In Wahab v. Good Boy Bob, Inc., the court ordered the parties to meet for at least one hour within 30 days after the summons and complaint are served. They must make a good-faith effort to settle and discuss whether the plaintiff has met the basic requirement of having standing to bring the case.
If the parties do not settle, they must discuss whether further settlement efforts through mediation or a settlement conference with a magistrate judge would be useful. Within 15 more days, they must send a joint letter telling the court whether they settled and, if not, asking either for mediation or a magistrate-judge settlement conference or for an initial status conference.
Judge Margaret M. Garnett also directed appearing counsel to promptly provide the order and the court’s rules to counsel who have not appeared, or directly to a party if counsel’s identity is unknown, and to file proof of that notice. The order did not decide the merits of the lawsuit.
The detailed version
- Wahab v. Good Boy Bob, Inc. · No. 1:24-cv-03784
- Garnett
- May 21, 2024
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 include a good-faith attempt to settle the action. The parties were also directed to consider whether the plaintiff has satisfied the threshold requirement of standing, meaning the legal requirement that a plaintiff have a sufficient connection to the dispute to bring it in court.
If the parties cannot settle on their own, they must discuss whether additional settlement discussions through the court’s mediation program or before a magistrate judge would be productive at that time.
Required joint letter
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 request either referral to mediation or a magistrate judge for a settlement conference, with a stated preference between those options, or an initial status conference.
Notice obligations
Counsel who had filed notices of appearance when the order issued must promptly serve the order and the court’s Individual Rules and Practices on counsel for parties who had not yet appeared. If the receiving counsel does not know the identity of another party’s counsel, the materials must instead be sent directly to that party. Counsel must file proof that this notice was provided.
Disposition and scope
This is a procedural order concerning settlement discussions, possible referral to mediation or a settlement conference, scheduling, and service of court materials. Judge Margaret M. Garnett did not rule on the merits of the action.
Read the full 1-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.