Brenda K. Sannes
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 in part: 1Denied: 4 | counts only |
| Summary judgment N = 5 |
Granted: 2Granted in part: 2Moot / procedural: 1 | counts only |
| Motion in limine N = 1 |
Granted: 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.
“Defendant's motion to dismiss (Dkt. No. 22) is GRANTED in part and DENIED in part”
“ORDERED that the County's motion to dismiss (Dkt. No. 16) is DENIED”
“Defendant's motion for summary judgment (Dkt. No. 25) is DENIED without prejudice to renewal”
“ORDERED that Defendant's motion to dismiss (Dkt. No. 29) is DENIED”
“ORDERED that Defendants' motion to dismiss (Dkt. No. 24) is DENIED”
“ORDERED that Defendants' motion for summary judgment (Dkt. No. 46) is GRANTED IN PART and DENIED IN PART”
“Defendants' motion for summary judgment (Dkt. No. 30) is GRANTED as to ... and ... DENIED as to ... and those claims will proceed to trial, pursuant to the order of Chief Judge Brenda K. Sannes on September 25, 2025”
“ORDERED that evidence that the Nation lost profits in connection with the sale of cannabis products is precluded as irrelevant”
“ORDERED that Defendants' cross-motion to dismiss (Dkt. No. 52) is DENIED in its entirety”
“ORDERED that Defendants' motion for summary judgment (Dkt. No. 99) is GRANTED”
“ORDERED that Defendants' motion for summary judgment (Dkt. No. 94) is GRANTED”
FELA / Federal Safety Appliances Act / Locomotive Inspection Act personal-injury suit by a pro se railroad engineer. After plaintiff's counsel withdrew (unable to contact plaintiff) and plaintiff failed to comply with court orders / keep an address on file, MJ Dancks recommended dismissal under Rule 41(b). No objections (mailing returned undeliverable); Sannes reviewed for clear error and ADOPTED the R&R, dismissing the complaint WITHOUT prejudice for failure to prosecute. NOT a ruling on a party motion -> excluded_from_stats; recorded as an order read for the procedural-disposition pattern. Quote grounds the disposition.
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
Median case duration in the sampled dockets: 240.5 days (N = 20).
Median motion-to-ruling time: 223 days (N = 6).
2019 tenure cohort is dominated by pro se prisoner 42:1983 civil-rights cases (Jones/Agee/Clay/Lev/Bowman/Wilder v. Cuomo et al.), plus employment civil-rights (ADA, ERISA, FMLA, Title VII), diversity product-liability/personal-injury (NutriBullet, Jo-Ann Stores), IDEA/education (SG, Diederich), Social Security appeals (Watson), and contract/insurance/CERCLA-environmental (Albany Molecular, Penn Mfrs, MPM Silicones). N.D.N.Y. routes most civil cases through referral magistrates. Referred magistrates surfaced (harvested to registry): Christian F. Hummel, Andrew T. Baxter, Daniel J. Stewart, Therese Wiley Dancks, David Peebles, Miroslav Lovric, Randolph F. Treece.