Opinion
20-CV-7006 (RA)
12-11-2020
NATHANEAL CHEVALIER, Plaintiff, v. STAFFPRO, INC. ET AL., Defendant.
ORDER
:
It has been reported to the Court that this Fair Labor Standards Act ("FLSA") case has been settled. No later than January 15, 2021 the parties shall take one of the following three actions:
1. Consent to conducting all further proceedings before Magistrate Judge Moses by completing the attached consent form, which is also available at http://www.uscourts.gov/forms/civil-forms/notice-consent-and-reference-civil-action-magistrate-judge. As the form indicates, no adverse substantive consequences will arise if the parties choose not to proceed before Judge Moses.
2. Submit a stipulation or notice of voluntary dismissal without prejudice pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 41.
3. Submit a joint letter setting forth their views as to why their settlement is fair and reasonable and should be approved, accompanied by all necessary supporting materials, including contemporaneous billing records for the attorney's fees and costs provided for in the settlement agreement. In light of the presumption of public
access attaching to "judicial documents," see Lugosch v. Pyramid Co. of Onondaga, 435 F.3d 110, 119 (2d Cir. 2006), the parties are advised that materials on which the Court relies in making its fairness determination will be placed on the public docket, see Wolinsky v. Scholastic Inc., No. 11-CV-5917 (JMF), 2012 WL 2700381, at *3-7 (S.D.N.Y. July 5, 2012).
SO ORDERED. Dated: December 11, 2020The parties are also advised that the Court will not approve of settlement agreements in which:
(a) Plaintiffs "waive practically any possible claim against the defendants, including unknown claims and claims that have no relationship whatsoever to wage-and-hour issues," Gurung v. White Way Threading LLC, 226 F. Supp. 3d 226, 228 (S.D.N.Y. 2016) (internal quotation marks omitted); and
(b) Plaintiffs are "bar[red] from making any negative statement about the defendants," unless the settlement agreement "include[s] a carve-out for truthful statements about [P]laintiffs' experience litigating their case," Lazaro-Garcia v. Sengupta Food Servs., No. 15 Civ. 4259 (RA), 2015 WL 9162701, at *3 (S.D.N.Y. Dec. 15, 2015) (internal quotation marks omitted).
New York, New York
/s/_________
Ronnie Abrams
United States District Judge
__________ Plaintiff
v.
__________ Defendant
Civil Action No. NOTICE, CONSENT, AND REFERENCE OF A CIVIL ACTION TO A MAGISTRATE JUDGE
Notice of a magistrate judge's availability. A United States magistrate judge of this court is available to conduct all proceedings in this civil action (including a jury or nonjury trial) and to order the entry of a final judgment. The judgment may then be appealed directly to the United States court of appeals like any other judgment of this court. A magistrate judge may exercise this authority only if all parties voluntarily consent.
You may consent to have your case referred to a magistrate judge, or you may withhold your consent without adverse substantive consequences. The name of any party withholding consent will not be revealed to any judge who may otherwise be involved with your case.
Consent to a magistrate judge's authority. The following parties consent to have a United States magistrate judge conduct all proceedings in this case including trial, the entry of final judgment, and all post-trial proceedings.
| Printed names of parties and attorneys | Signatures of parties or attorneys | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| __________ | __________ | __________ |
| __________ | __________ | __________ |
| __________ | __________ | __________ |
Reference Order
IT IS ORDERED: This case is referred to a United States magistrate judge to conduct all proceedings and order the entry of a final judgment in accordance with 28 U.S.C. § 636(c) and Fed. R. Civ. P. 73. Date: __________
__________
District Judge's signature
__________
Printed name and title Note: Return this form to the clerk of court only if you are consenting to the exercise of jurisdiction by a United States magistrate judge. Do not return this form to a judge.