Cotter v. Southern Transcription Services, Inc. et al

Filing 24

OPINION AND ORDER granting 20 Motion to approve Settlement; approving settlement; adopting and incorporating 22 Report and Recommendations. The Clerk shall enter judgment dismissing the case with prejudice, terminate all deadlines, and close the file. Signed by Judge John E. Steele on 8/21/2017. (RKR)

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
MIDDLE DISTRICT OF FLORIDA
FORT MYERS DIVISION
ELLEN COTTER,
Plaintiff,
v.

Case No:

2:17-cv-209-FtM-29CM

SOUTHERN
TRANSCRIPTION
SERVICES, INC., a Georgia
profit
corporation
and
HANNAH
BROOKS
MORRIS,
individually,
Defendants.
OPINION AND ORDER
This matter is before the Court on consideration of the
Magistrate Judge’s Report and Recommendation (Doc. #22), filed
August 7, 2017, recommending that that the parties' Joint Motion
to Approve Settlement Agreement and Stipulation for Dismissal With
Prejudice (Doc. #20) be granted, the settlement be approved, and
the case dismissed.

On August 15, 2017, the parties filed a Joint

Notice of Non-Objection to Report and Recommendations (Doc. #23)
indicating no objections.
After conducting a careful and complete review of the findings
and recommendations, a district judge may accept, reject or modify
the magistrate judge’s report and recommendation.

28 U.S.C. §

636(b)(1); Williams v. Wainwright, 681 F.2d 732 (11th Cir. 1982),

cert. denied, 459 U.S. 1112 (1983).

In the absence of specific

objections, there is no requirement that a district judge review
factual findings de novo, Garvey v. Vaughn, 993 F.2d 776, 779 n.9
(11th Cir. 1993), and the court may accept, reject or modify, in
whole or in part, the findings and recommendations.
636(b)(1).

28 U.S.C. §

The district judge reviews legal conclusions de novo,

even in the absence of an objection.

See Cooper-Houston v.

Southern Ry. Co., 37 F.3d 603, 604 (11th Cir. 1994); Castro
Bobadilla v. Reno, 826 F. Supp. 1428, 1431-32 (S.D. Fla. 1993),
aff’d, 28 F.3d 116 (11th Cir. 1994) (Table).
After conducting an independent examination of the file and
upon due consideration of the Report and Recommendation, the Court
accepts the Report and Recommendation of the magistrate judge.
Accordingly, it is now
ORDERED:
1.

The

Report

and

Recommendation

(Doc.

#22)

is

hereby

adopted and the findings incorporated herein.
2.

The

parties'

Joint

Motion

to

Approve

Settlement

Agreement and Stipulation for Dismissal With Prejudice (Doc. #20)
is granted and the Settlement Agreement and Mutual General Release
of Claims (Doc. #21-1) is approved as a fair and reasonable
resolution of a bona fide dispute.

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3.

The Clerk shall enter judgment dismissing the case with

prejudice, terminate all deadlines and motions, and close the file.
DONE and ORDERED at Fort Myers, Florida, this
of August, 2017.

Copies:
Hon. Carol Mirando
United States Magistrate Judge
Counsel of Record
Unrepresented parties

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21st

day