Patridge v. Black Rock LLC
- Laura Swain
- 1:25-cv-00696
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In Patridge v. Black Rock LLC, Judge Swain ordered pro se plaintiff Nicholas Partridge to sign a required document within 30 days or face dismissal without prejudice.
Nicholas Partridge, who must provide the required signature for the case to proceed; the case will be dismissed without prejudice if he does not comply within 30 days.
What happened
In Patridge v. Black Rock LLC, Nicholas Partridge brought the action without a lawyer, but his complaint was unsigned. Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 11 requires an unrepresented party to sign court filings.
The court ordered Partridge to sign and submit the attached certification and warnings within 30 days. A handwritten signature is required for mail or in-person submission; an electronic signature or a typed name preceded by "/s/" may be used for an email submission. No summons or answer will issue at this time.
If Partridge complies, the Clerk’s Office will process the case under its procedures; if he does not, the action will be dismissed without prejudice. Judge Laura Taylor Swain also denied permission to appeal without paying fees because the court certified that an appeal would not be taken in good faith.
The detailed version
- Patridge v. Black Rock LLC · No. 1:25-cv-00696
- Laura Swain
- Jan. 29, 2025
Background
Nicholas Partridge filed this action without a lawyer. The complaint he submitted was unsigned. The court relied on Rule 11(a) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, which requires an unrepresented party to sign pleadings, motions, and other papers filed with the court.
Order
The court directed Partridge to sign and submit the attached “Plaintiff’s Certification and Warnings” within 30 days of the order. If he submits the document by mail or in person, it must contain a handwritten signature. If he submits it by email to ProSe@nysd.uscourts.gov, he may use an electronic signature or a typed name with “/s/” on the signature line, such as “/s/ Nicholas Partridge.” The document must include docket number 25-CV-0696 (LTS).
No summons or answer shall issue at this time. If Partridge complies with the order, the case will be processed under the Clerk’s Office procedures. If he fails to comply within the allowed time, the action will be dismissed without prejudice, meaning the stated dismissal would not bar refiling.
Appeal and Disposition
The court certified under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(3) that any appeal from the order would not be taken in good faith. It therefore denied permission to appeal without paying filing fees. The order was signed by Chief United States District Judge Laura Taylor Swain.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.