Anne Y. Shields
How Judge Shields decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
On limitations defenses she enforces the discovery rule rigorously: inquiry notice -- suspicion of fraud sufficient to prompt a reasonable inquiry -- starts the clock, and a plaintiff cannot defer accrual until litigation later confirms the suspicion. She also rejects fraudulent-concealment tolling absent a triable showing of reasonable diligence.
“plaintiff was on inquiry notice of Saunders' fraud and that plaintiff failed even to establish a triable issue of fact on whether she had conducted a reasonable inquiry concerning Saunders' assets”
On ERISA Section 404(a) fiduciary-breach pleading she imports the securities-law materiality standard (Ballone v. Eastman Kodak) and treats materiality as a fact-specific inquiry unsuited to resolution on a 12(b)(6) motion; allegations of long-term acceptance of contributions plus benefit statements plausibly state a breach at the pleading stage.
“misrepresentations are material if they would induce a reasonable person to rely upon them ... Determining the materiality of misstatements is a fact-specific inquiry.”
Motion outcomes
Counted from classified signed orders only. Percentages are shown only where the sample is large enough to be meaningful; smaller samples are reported as raw counts.
| Motions to dismiss N = 5 |
Granted: 3Granted in part: 2 | counts only |
| Summary judgment N = 2 |
Granted: 1Denied: 1 | counts only |
| Default judgment N = 1 |
Granted: 1 | counts only |
| Motion for sanctions N = 1 |
Denied: 1 | counts only |
| Motion for leave to amend N = 1 |
Denied: 1 | counts only |
A "1 of 1" is one ruling, not a tendency. Treat small samples as illustrative, not predictive.
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“Judge Shields' R&R (Docket Entry 16) is ADOPTED in its entirety and this case is DISMISSED WITH PREJUDICE.”
“The Court has reviewed the record and, finding no clear error, adopts the R & R as the opinion of the Court. The Court grants defendants' motion to dismiss.”
“defendants' motion for summary judgment pursuant to Rule 56 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure is granted; defendants are granted judgment as a matter of law dismissing plaintiff's claims against them in their entirety with prejudice”
“plaintiff's cross motion for summary judgment pursuant to Rule 56 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure is denied”
“Blue Castle's Motion for Default Judgment (ECF No. 9) is granted, with rates and hours for attorney's fees as set forth in the R&R. The Court awards Blue Castle $1,608,499.93”
“United States Magistrate Judge Anne Y. Shields issued a Report and Recommendation in which she recommended that the defendant's motion to dismiss be granted in part and denied in part.”
“the Equity Dismissal Motion (ECF No. 30) is GRANTED”
“the Funds Defendants Dismissal Motion (ECF No. 31) is GRANTED in part and DENIED in part in accordance with Magistrate Judge Shields' recommendation”
“For the reasons set forth above, Plaintiff's motion set forth in Docket Entry No. 116 is denied in its entirety.”
“Upon such construction, and for the reasons set forth below, the Reylings' motions are deemed made and are denied.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
As-assigned referral civil docket (2026 sample, N=20) is dominated by single-plaintiff FLSA/NYLL wage cases (NOS 710, 6 of 20), plus ADA-employment (445), consumer/product-liability (365/195), 'Contract: Other/Product' (190/195), immigration (465, USCIS mandamus, civil-rights), alongside a steady magistrate-duty criminal calendar (2:NN-mj-* complaints/removals). FLSA dominance is consistent with her published FLSA-protocol reputation.