Howard Robinson v. The Partnerships and Unincorporated Associations Identified on Schedule A

MEMORANDUM terminate deadlines and hearings,,,,,,,,,,, [23] by Howard Robinson Supplemental Memorandum in support of Joinder under Fed. R. CIV. P. 20 (Attachments: (1) Exhibit 1, (2) Exhibit 2)(Vogt, Keith)

MINUTE entry before the Honorable Jorge L. Alonso: Upon review of Plaintiff's complaint and supporting documents, the Court sua sponte raises the issue of whether the remaining 64 defendants can be properly joined in this single action under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 20. See Tang v. Partnerships & Unincorporated Associations Identified on Schedule A, No. 23 C 4587, 2024 WL 68332, at 3 (N.D. Ill. Jan. 4, 2024); Roadget Bus. Pte. Ltd. v. Individuals, Corps., Ltd. Liab. Companies, Partnerships, & Unincorporated Associations Identified on Schedule A Hereto, No. 23 C 17036, 2024 WL 1858592, at 6 (N.D. Ill. Apr. 29, 2024); Viking Arm AS v. Partnerships & Unincorporated Associations Identified on Schedule A, No. 1:24-cv-1566, 2024 WL 2953105, at 3 (N.D. Ill. June 6, 2024). In particular, the Court is concerned that the similarity in appearance of the products Defendants are alleged to have sold is not sufficient to satisfy Rule 20(a)(2)(A) in this particular context. See Estee Lauder Cosms. Ltd. v. The Partnerships, 334 F.R.D.182, 188 (N.D. Ill. 2020) ("Considering that the Defendants are copying the Este Lauder products, it is not a surprise that the counterfeited end-resultsalong with their images and descriptionswould be similar."); Ilustrata Servicos Design, Ltda. v. The Partnerships, No. 21-CV-05993, 2021 WL 5396690, at 2 (N.D. Ill. Nov. 18, 2021) ("Nor are Defendants or their alleged infringement 'interrelated' simply because the products sold by Defendants are similar."); Anagram Int'l, LLC v. P'ships & Unincorporated Ass'ns Identified on Schedule A, No. 1:24-cv-12194, 2025 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 43230, at 9 (N.D. Ill. Feb. 21, 2025) ("[T]o the extent that the products bear some similarity in appearance, that in and of itself is not evidence of a singular transaction or occurrence."). By 8/5/26, Plaintiff must file a supplemental memorandum addressing the propriety of joinder in light of the principles set forth in the above-cited cases. In the alternative, Plaintiff has leave to file an amended complaint by 8/5/26 with a smaller subset of defendants, along with a memorandum explaining why that smaller subset of defendants is properly joined. The 7/16/26 status hearing is stricken. The Court additionally notes that, since it granted Plaintiff's request to effect service of process electronically [12, 16], the Seventh Circuit held that service by email on a Chinese defendant is only proper if the Hague Convention does not apply because the defendant's physical address remains unknown, even after reasonably diligent efforts to ascertain it. Kangol LLC v. Hangzhou Chuanyue Silk Import & Export Co., 2026 WL 1502198, at 6 (7th Cir. May 29, 2026). Any motion for default should address this binding precedent. Notice mailed by Judge's staff (lf, )

STATUS Report pursuant to Minute Entry Order [21] by Howard Robinson

MINUTE entry before the Honorable Jorge L. Alonso: Telephonic Status hearing set for 7/16/26 at 9:30 a.m. Plaintiff is directed to file a joint status report by 7/13/26. Members of the public and media will be able to call in to listen to this hearing. The call-in number is 650-479-3207 and the access code is 1804010308. Persons granted remote access to proceedings are reminded of the general prohibition against photographing, recording, and rebroadcasting of court proceedings. Violation of these prohibitions may result in sanctions, including removal of court issued media credentials, restricted entry to future hearings, denial of entry to future hearings, or any other sanctions deemed necessary by the Court. Notice mailed by Judge's staff (lf, )

NOTICE of Voluntary Dismissal by All Plaintiffs as to Defendant no. 40 rispros (Vogt, Keith)

SUMMONS Returned Executed by Howard Robinson as to The Partnerships and Unincorporated Associations Identified on Schedule A on 5/28/2026, answer due 6/18/2026. (Attachments: (1) Declaration of Service, Keith A. Vogt)(Vogt, Keith)

Order

Order on Motion for Exparte

Complaint