Katherine Marie Menendez
How Judge Menendez decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
Menendez is reluctant to grant summary judgment where the non-movant (especially a pro se plaintiff) has not had a full and fair opportunity for discovery; she will deny without prejudice and grant leave to renew rather than resolve a thin record. Counsel moving early for summary judgment against a pro se party should expect the motion to be deferred until discovery is complete.
“the Court strongly disfavors the entry of summary judgment ... if there is any doubt that discovery has been conducted fully and fairly”
Menendez will decide a dispositive legal question (including preemption and statutory liability) as a matter of law on cross-motions when the material facts are undisputed, granting the plaintiff partial summary judgment on liability and leaving only damages for trial. She reads a causal-chain element functionally: an adverse action that 'flows directly from' a protected event is not 'independent' of it.
“the Court holds as a matter of law that BHI violated DATWA”
Even when dismissing claims, Menendez prefers to give a pro se plaintiff a path to cure: rather than dismissing a vaguely-pleaded Title VII claim, she orders a more definite statement and a chance to replead, while dismissing genuinely time-barred or non-curable claims (defamation) with prejudice. Defense counsel should expect repleading orders, not outright dismissal, on curable pleading defects.
“Ms. Kasso is ORDERED to file a Second Amended Complaint within 30 days ... or risk the dismissal of her Title VII claim”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“BHI's Motion for Summary Judgment [Dkt. No. 108] is DENIED.”
“Ms. Williams's Motion for Partial Summary Judgment [Dkt. No. 102] is GRANTED.”
“Defendant's Motion for Summary Judgment (ECF 18) is DENIED.”
“Defendant's Motion to Dismiss the Amended Complaint or in the Alternative Motion for a More Definite Statement (ECF 37) is GRANTED; ... Ms. Kasso's Defamation Claim against Defendant is DISMISSED with prejudice; ... Ms. Kasso's Breach of Duty of Fair Representation Claim is DISMISSED without prejudice; and ... Ms. Kasso is ORDERED to file a Second Amended Complaint within 30 days”
“Plaintiffs' Motion for Summary Judgment [Doc. 40] is GRANTED IN PART”
“Commissioner Harrington's Motion for Summary Judgment [Doc. 45] is DENIED”
“Sheriffs Lorge, Wolbersen, and Starry's Motion for Summary Judgment [Doc. 52] is DENIED”
“The United States moved for the entry of a Preliminary Injunction on August 2, 2024. ECF No. 21. The Court held a hearing on that motion on August 9, 2024. ... IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED that Defendants ... are hereby restrained and enjoined”
“Mr. Glover's Petition Under 28 U.S.C. § 2254 for a Writ of Habeas Corpus by a Person in State Custody (ECF 1) is DENIED”
“Robert Larson's Petition for a Writ of Habeas Corpus under 28 U.S.C. § 2241 is DENIED.”
“The petition for a writ of habeas corpus (ECF 1) is DENIED.”
“that Mr. Regenscheid's Motion to Dismiss [ECF No. 5] is GRANTED, ... that the Court GRANTS Mx. Putmon leave to amend the First Amended Complaint pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 15(a)(2)”
“The Motion for Preliminary Approval of Settlement Between Plaintiff and the MUY Defendants, including the Settlement Agreement attached thereto as Exhibit 1, is hereby GRANTED.”
“Plaintiff's Second Motion to File a Third Amended Complaint (ECF 249) is DENIED.”
“The Motion to Remand [ECF No. 8] filed by Plaintiff Federal National Mortgage Association is GRANTED.”
“Mr. Mashak's Motion to Strike and for an Extension of Time [ECF No. 27] is DENIED.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
Median case duration in the sampled dockets: 1095 days (N = 2).
The sample includes two terminated employment dockets classified as civil-rights jobs matters: Christiansen v. Honeywell, involving Title VII religious accommodation, and Williams v. BHI Energy, involving the Minnesota Drug and Alcohol Testing in the Workplace Act. Her published orders also include the LMRA and defamation union dispute in Kasso. This limited sample does not establish her full nature-of-suit mix or representative motion-to-ruling latency.
Put Judge Menendez's record to work
Ezel drafts and answers grounded in this exact profile: how Judge Menendez actually rules, not a generic AI guess.
Opens in Ezel Pro. Every answer is grounded in Judge Menendez's own signed orders and cites them.