Everett See, Salvatore Cristiano, Edwin Nahm and Samantha Milner-Koonce on behalf of themselves and all others similarly situated v. Government Employees Insurance Company d/b/a GEICO, GEICO General Insurance Company and GEICO Indemnity Company

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. New York
DecidedOctober 11, 2025
Docket2:21-cv-00547
StatusUnknown

This text of Everett See, Salvatore Cristiano, Edwin Nahm and Samantha Milner-Koonce on behalf of themselves and all others similarly situated v. Government Employees Insurance Company d/b/a GEICO, GEICO General Insurance Company and GEICO Indemnity Company (Everett See, Salvatore Cristiano, Edwin Nahm and Samantha Milner-Koonce on behalf of themselves and all others similarly situated v. Government Employees Insurance Company d/b/a GEICO, GEICO General Insurance Company and GEICO Indemnity Company) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Everett See, Salvatore Cristiano, Edwin Nahm and Samantha Milner-Koonce on behalf of themselves and all others similarly situated v. Government Employees Insurance Company d/b/a GEICO, GEICO General Insurance Company and GEICO Indemnity Company, (E.D.N.Y. 2025).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT CLERK

EASTERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK 10/11/2025

-------------------------------------------------------------------X U.S. DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK EVERETT SEE, SALVATORE CRISTIANO, LONG ISLAND OFFICE EDWIN NAHM and SAMANTHA MILNER-KOONCE on behalf of themselves and all others similarly situated, Plaintiffs, MEMORANDUM AND ORDER 21-cv-00547 (PKC) (JMW) -against- GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES INSURANCE COMPANY d/b/a GEICO, GEICO GENERAL INSURANCE COMPANY and GEICO INDEMNITY COMPANY, Defendants. -------------------------------------------------------------------X A P P E A R A N C E S: Hank Bates Tiffany Oldham Lee Lowther Carney Bates & Pulliam, PLLC One Allied Drive, Suite 1400 Little Rock, AR 72202 -and- Thomas M. Mullaney The Law Office of Thomas M. Mullaney 530 Fifth Ave, 23rd Floor New York, NY 10036 Attorneys for Plaintiffs Dan W. Goldfine Jamie L. Halavais Dickinson Wright PLLC 1850 N. Central Avenue, Suite 1400 Phoenix, Arizona 85004 Attorneys for Defendants WICKS, Magistrate Judge: Everett See (“Mr. See”) and Salvatore Cristiano (“Mr. Cristiano” and collectively, the “Plaintiffs”) commenced this class action on behalf of themselves and all others similarly situated against Government Employees Insurance Company (“Government Employees”) and its

subsidiary GEICO General Insurance Company (“GEICO General”) (collectively, the “Defendants”) asserting breach of contract and violations of New York General Business Law (“NY GBL”) § 349. (See generally ECF No. 21.) Recently, the Court granted leave for Plaintiffs to file their Second Amended Complaint (ECF No. 122)1. (See ECF No. 123.) Defendants have filed Objections to the undersigned’s decision (ECF No. 125), which is opposed by Plaintiffs (ECF No. 126) and currently pending for decision before the District Judge. Subsequently, Defendants also filed a pre-motion conference letter regarding an anticipated motion to dismiss (ECF No. 127), which is likewise opposed by Plaintiffs (ECF No. 129).2 Now before the Court are Plaintiffs’ Motion to Compel (ECF No. 131), Defendants’ Opposition (ECF No. 133), and (ii) Defendants’ Motion to Stay Discovery (ECF No. 132) Plaintiffs’ Opposition (ECF No. 134), and

Defendants’ Reply (ECF No. 135). For the reasons set forth below, (i) Plaintiffs’ Motion to Compel (ECF No. 131) is GRANTED in part and DENIED in part, and (ii) Defendants’ Motion to Stay (ECF No. 132) is DENIED.

1 The operative Complaint now includes the following parties: (i) Plaintiffs Everett See, Salvatore Cristiano, Edwin Nahm and Samantha Milner-Koonce, and (ii) Defendants Government Employees Insurance Company d/b/a GEICO, GEICO General Insurance Company and GEICO Indemnity Company. (See generally, ECF No. 123.)

2 The Hon. Judge Pamela K. Chen has deferred ruling on the pre-motion conference letters until after resolution of Defendants’ appeal. (Electronic Order dated 9/3/2025.) THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK & DISCUSSION A. Defendants’ Motion to Stay Motions to stay are discretionary and are determined on a case-by-case basis. See Monterey Bay Mil. Hous., LLC v. Ambac Assurance Corp., No. 19-CV-9193 (PGG) (SLC), 2023 WL 5498962, at *4 (S.D.N.Y. Aug. 25, 2023) (quoting Nken v. Holder, 556 U.S. 418, 433 (2009) (“The decision to stay an action pending [an objection to a magistrate judge’s ruling] is an ‘exercise of judicial discretion ... dependent upon the circumstances of the particular case.’”)). To

assist in making a determination on whether a stay is appropriate, courts consider the following factors, (1) whether the stay applicant has made a strong showing that he is likely to succeed on the merits; (2) whether the applicant will be irreparably injured absent a stay; (3) whether issuance of the stay will substantially injure the other parties interested in the proceeding; and (4) where the public interest lies.

S.E.C. v. Citigroup Global Mkts. Inc., 673 F.3d 158, 162–63 (2d Cir. 2012).

These are the factors applied when a party requests a motion to stay while an appeal or objection is pending.3 See Hong Leong Fin. Ltd. (Singapore) v. Pinnacle Performance Ltd., 297 F.R.D. 69, 72–73 (S.D.N.Y. 2013) (quoting U.S. S.E.C., 673 F.3d at 162) (“This latter standard is in accord with the standard used in requests for stays in other contexts, such as a stay of a court ruling pending the outcome of an appeal, which requires a ‘strong showing that [the party moving for the stay] is likely to succeed on the merits.’”) Here, Defendants seek a stay of discovery pending a decision on Defendants’ Objections to the undersigned’s Memorandum & Order (“M&O”) (see ECF Nos. 122, 125) because the

3 The Court notes that both parties cite to the motion to stay standard when a dispositive motion is pending. Ordinarily, the Court would apply those same factors if the stay was premised on the anticipated motion to dismiss. However, this stay is requested directly in connection with the appeal pending before Judge Chen. newly added claims fail as a matter of law. (ECF No. 132-1 at 1.) In addition, Defendants contend that Plaintiffs seek broad discovery regarding these claims that imposes significant burdens on Defendants, which may ultimately be unnecessary pending Judge Chen’s decision. (Id.) To no surprise, Plaintiffs oppose asserting that this motion is “nothing more than a tactical

bid to have this Court ratify Defendants’ unilateral discovery holdout,” and there is no good cause to stay discovery. (ECF No. 134 at 2.) A review of the four factors, warrants a denial of the requested stay. First, Defendants have not made a strong showing that the Objections to the M&O will succeed. “It is well-settled that a magistrate judge's resolution of a non[-]dispositive matter should be afforded substantial deference.” Pugh-Ozua v. Springhill Suites, No. 18-CV-1755 (RA), 2020 WL 6562376, at *3 (S.D.N.Y. Nov. 9, 2020) (quoting Roth v. United States, No. 09- CV-8712 (GBD) (LMS), 2011 WL 2947004, at *1 (S.D.N.Y. July 19, 2011)). Only when a magistrate judge abuses their discretion, will reversal be appropriate. Id. Defendants’ Objections generally state that the Court in allowing the amendments to proceed erred as the newly added

claims were contrary to law. (ECF No. 125.) The undersigned’s M&O contained legal authority for the overall decision and Defendants have not outlined a strong showing that it shall be reversed. See Michelo v. Nat'l Collegiate Student Loan Tr. 2007-2, No. 18-CV-1781 (PGG) (BCM), 2021 WL 1080673, at *2 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 5, 2021) (finding that a strong showing was absent). Second, Defendants will not be irreparably injured if this motion is denied. Importantly, [t]o support a stay pending appeal, the applicant must show injury that ‘is neither remote nor speculative, but actual and imminent and cannot be remedied by an award of monetary damages. The potential for irreparable injury should be evaluated taking into account the possibility that the ruling sought to be stayed is erroneous. Nat. Res. Def. Council, Inc., v. U.S. Food & Drug Admin., 884 F. Supp. 2d 108, 123 (S.D.N.Y. 2012) (internal citations and quotations omitted).

Defendants focus on the undue burden of discovery and the costs therein – not the showing required as set forth above. (ECF No. 135 at 1.) Indeed, the above first two factors are considered the most critical. See In re Pidwell for an Ord. Seeking Discovery from Centerbridge Partners L.P., No. 21-MC-0166 (ALC) (KHP), 2022 WL 443632, at *1 (S.D.N.Y. Feb.

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Related

Nken v. Holder
556 U.S. 418 (Supreme Court, 2009)
Strougo v. Barclays PLC
194 F. Supp. 3d 230 (S.D. New York, 2016)
Pegoraro v. Marrero
281 F.R.D. 122 (S.D. New York, 2012)
Hong Leong Finance Ltd. v. Pinnacle Performance Ltd.
297 F.R.D. 69 (S.D. New York, 2013)

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Everett See, Salvatore Cristiano, Edwin Nahm and Samantha Milner-Koonce on behalf of themselves and all others similarly situated v. Government Employees Insurance Company d/b/a GEICO, GEICO General Insurance Company and GEICO Indemnity Company, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/everett-see-salvatore-cristiano-edwin-nahm-and-samantha-milner-koonce-on-nyed-2025.