Piney v. City Of New York

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK ---------------------------------------------------------------------- X : Albert Piney, et al., : : Plaintiffs, : 25-CV-671 (DEH) (SLC) : -v- : : City of New York, et al., : ORDER : Defendants. : : ---------------------------------------------------------------------- X : Scott DeFalco, et al., : : Plaintiffs, : 25-CV-1339 (DEH) (SLC) : -v- : : ORDER City of New York, et al., : : Defendants. : : ---------------------------------------------------------------------- X

DALE E. HO, United States District Judge: On April 4, 2025, Plaintiffs and Defendant Rockefeller Center, Inc. filed stipulations of dismissal without prejudice in each of the above-captioned cases pursuant to Rule 41(a)(1)(A)(ii) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. See Piney, No. 25 Civ. 671, ECF No. 339; DeFalco, No. 25 Civ. 1339, ECF No. 20.

In the Second Circuit, “parties cannot privately settle FLSA claims with a stipulated dismissal with prejudice under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 41 absent the approval of the district court or the Department of Labor.” Fisher v. SD Prot. Inc., 948 F.3d 593, 599 (2d Cir. 2020); see also Cheeks v. Freeport Pancake House, Inc., 796 F.3d 199, 206-07 (2d Cir. 2015).

The same rule applies to stipulated dismissals without prejudice, because “the same pernicious effects” that Cheeks seeks to prevent can also be “achieved with a dismissal without prejudice coupled with a broad release.” Samake v. Thunder Lube, Inc., 24 F 4th 804, 810 (2d Cir. 2022).

Accordingly, district courts must evaluate such dismissals to ensure that there has been no settlement of FLSA claims. /d.; see also Issa v. A To Z On 8th, Inc., No. 1:24 Civ. 3582, 2024 WL 4370843, at *2 (S.D.N.Y. Oct. 2, 2024).

It is therefore ORDERED that, by April 14, 2025, the parties shall either: 1) Certify, in a letter filed jointly by counsel for all relevant parties, that there is no settlement; or 2) Ifthere is a settlement, file a letter so informing the Court; the Court will thereafter set a schedule for the submission of materials for Cheeks review.

SO ORDERED.

Dated: April 10, 2025 New York, New York DALE E. HO United States District Judge