Bouvier v. Bouvier Kennedy Schlossberg
- Laura Swain
- 1:24-cv-01374
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 6
In Bouvier v. Schlossberg, Judge Swain dismissed Carla Bouvier’s complaint as frivolous, denied amendment, and denied fee-free status for an appeal.
Carla Bouvier’s complaint was dismissed, and she was not allowed to amend it. Caroline Lee Bouvier Kennedy Schlossberg and Hyperion Books were the named defendants. The order also terminated the other pending matters and denied Bouvier fee-free status for an appeal.
What happened
In Bouvier v. Bouvier Kennedy Schlossberg, Carla Bouvier sued Caroline Lee Bouvier Kennedy Schlossberg and Hyperion Books. She sought money she said was owed from trusts or inheritances and claimed that her rights had been violated because of her biological status.
The court found that Bouvier gave no factual support for her claimed biological connection to the Bouvier or Schlossberg family, her alleged entitlement to trust money, or her claims against Hyperion Books. It concluded that the allegations were irrational and dismissed the complaint as frivolous under the law governing complaints filed without paying filing fees.
Judge Laura Taylor Swain declined to allow Bouvier to amend the complaint, directed the Clerk to enter judgment, and terminated the other pending matters. The court also denied fee-free status for any appeal after certifying that an appeal would not be taken in good faith.
The detailed version
- Bouvier v. Bouvier Kennedy Schlossberg · No. 1:24-cv-01374
- Laura Swain
- July 8, 2024
Background
Carla Bouvier, appearing without a lawyer, sued Caroline Lee Bouvier Kennedy Schlossberg and Hyperion Books. She invoked federal-question jurisdiction and alleged that her civil liberties and right to live freely as a biracial woman had been violated because of her biological status. She sought money that she claimed was owed to her from trusts or inheritances.
Bouvier’s complaint described alleged threats, isolation, harassment, and harm to her and her children over approximately 25 years. She also alleged that she was biologically related to Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis and that she was entitled to money from the Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis Trust. The complaint did not explain why Hyperion Books was named as a defendant. The court had previously allowed Bouvier to proceed without paying filing fees.
Court’s analysis
The court explained that it must dismiss a complaint filed without paying filing fees if it is frivolous, fails to state a claim, seeks money from an immune defendant, or falls outside the court’s subject-matter jurisdiction. It also noted that complaints filed without a lawyer must be read liberally, meaning the court must interpret them to raise the strongest claims reasonably suggested by the allegations.
The court ruled that Bouvier’s claims were frivolous. It found no factual basis for her asserted biological connection to the Bouvier or Schlossberg family or for her alleged entitlement to money from the trust. The court also found that she supplied no facts explaining her claims against Hyperion Books. It characterized the allegations as conclusory claims and suspicions without a factual foundation and concluded that they rose to the level of irrational allegations.
Disposition
The court dismissed Bouvier’s complaint as frivolous under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2)(B)(i). It declined to grant leave to amend because it concluded that the defects could not be cured by amendment. The court terminated all other pending matters, directed the Clerk of Court to enter judgment, and certified that any appeal would not be taken in good faith. It therefore denied Bouvier permission to proceed without paying fees for an appeal.
Judge Laura Taylor Swain signed the order. The opinion does not state whether the dismissal was with or without prejudice.
Read the full 6-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.