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S.D.N.Y.Procedural orderFiled June 3, 2024

Serrant v. City of Bronx

Judge
Laura Swain
Docket
1:24-cv-04113
Court
U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
Pages
4
Civil ProcedurePro Se
In one sentence

In Serrant v. City of Bronx, Judge Swain ordered Serrant to pay $405 or submit an application to proceed without prepaying fees within 30 days.

Who this affects

Chry​​stal Serrant, the plaintiff proceeding without a lawyer, must either pay the required fees or submit an application to proceed without prepaying them within 30 days; otherwise, the action will be dismissed.

What happened

In Serrant v. City of Bronx, Chry​​stal Serrant filed a civil action without paying the required fees or submitting an application to proceed without prepaying them.

The court ordered Serrant, who is representing herself, to either pay $405 or submit a signed application for permission to proceed without prepaying fees within 30 days. No summons will be issued at this time.

Judge Swain stated that the case will be processed if Serrant complies, but it will be dismissed if she does not. The court also denied permission to appeal without prepaying fees, finding that an appeal would not be taken in good faith.

The detailed version

For law students, journalists, and other readers who want the full reasoning

Case
Serrant v. City of Bronx · No. 1:24-cv-04113
Judge
Laura Swain
Date
June 3, 2024

Background

Chry​​stal Serrant filed this civil action without paying the required filing fees and without submitting an application to proceed without prepaying fees. The opinion states that Serrant is proceeding without a lawyer.

Order

The court explained that starting a civil action requires either payment of $405—consisting of a $350 filing fee and a $55 administrative fee—or a signed application requesting permission to proceed without prepaying fees. The court directed Serrant to take one of those steps within 30 days of the order. If Serrant submits the application, it should identify docket number 24-CV-4113 (LTS). The court did not decide whether Serrant is entitled to proceed without prepaying fees; it stated that permission would allow her to proceed without prepayment if the application is granted.

Effect of the Order

No summons will issue at this time. If Serrant complies, the Clerk’s Office will process the case under its procedures. If she does not comply within the allowed time, the action will be dismissed. Judge Swain also certified that an appeal from this order would not be taken in good faith and denied permission to appeal without prepaying fees. The order does not address the underlying claims.

The authoritative version

Read the full 4-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.

Open opinion PDF →
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