OPINION AND ORDER Plaintiffs Rayvon Rutherford and Reginald Gallman bring this action against the City of Mount Vernon (“Mount Vernon”), P.O. Brianna M. Mecca, Det. Camilo R. Antonini, Det. Sgt. Sean J. Fegan, P.O. Joseph B. Valente, P.O. Robert G. Puff, and P.O. Peter Vitelli (the “Individual Defendants,” and collectively with Mount Vernon, the “Defendants”), asserting various claims pursuant to 42 U.S.C. §1983. See generally ECF No. 115 (Second Amended Complaint or “SAC”); ECF No. 197 (“Summary Judgment Opinion and Order” or “Op.”); Rutherford v. City of Mount Vernon, ___ F. Supp. 3d ___, 2023 WL 6395375 (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 29, 2023). A trial in this matter is scheduled to begin on January 22, 2024. Currently before the Court is Defendants’ motion to bifurcate the trial into two separate proceedings: one for all remaining claims against the Individual Defendants, and one for Plaintiffs’ municipal liability claim against Mount Vernon pursuant to Monell v. Department of Social Services of City of New York, 436 U.S. 658 (1978). See ECF Nos. 201 (Notice of Motion), 202 (Defendants’ Memorandum or “Defs.’ Mem.”). For the reasons that follow, Defendants’ motion is DENIED. BACKGROUND The factual and procedural background of this matter is set forth at length in the Court’s September 29, 2023 Summary Judgment Opinion and Order, which granted in part and denied in part Defendants’ motion for partial summary judgment. Familiarity with that decision is presumed, and what follows is a brief recitation of the facts and procedural history relevant for purposes of deciding the current motion to bifurcate. On the evening of March 31, 2017, the Individual Defendants — all of whom were employed by the Mount Vernon Police Department (“MVPD”) — executed a search warrant at a residential apartment located at 145 South 1st Avenue in Mount Vernon, New York. See Op. at 5. Plaintiffs were both present in the apartment at the time of the search, and following the search, were arrested and charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, pursuant to N.Y. Penal Law §220.16(1). See Op. at 5, 11. Plaintiffs have alleged that during the course of the search, certain Individual Defendants subjected them to excessive uses of force and unconstitutional strip and/or body cavity searches, and/or failed to intervene to prevent these violations of their rights. SAC
