Woodhouse v. Bosely
- Kenneth Karas
- 7:25-cv-01229
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In Woodhouse v. Bosely, Judge Swain ordered Darri D. Woodhouse to pay filing fees or submit authorization within 30 days.
Darri D. Woodhouse, an incarcerated plaintiff proceeding without a lawyer, must pay the required fees or submit a prisoner authorization within 30 days to avoid dismissal of the action.
What happened
Darri D. Woodhouse sued Bosely and others while incarcerated and without a lawyer. Woodhouse asked to proceed without paying the filing fee upfront but submitted only the application, not the required prisoner authorization.
The court gave Woodhouse 30 days to either pay $405 in fees or submit the authorization. That authorization would allow installment payments of the $350 filing fee from the prisoner account and provide the required account statements. No summons will issue yet.
If Woodhouse does not comply, the action will be dismissed. The court also denied permission to proceed without prepaying fees for an appeal from this order. Judge Laura Taylor Swain signed the order.
The detailed version
- Woodhouse v. Bosely · No. 7:25-cv-01229
- Kenneth Karas
- Feb. 14, 2025
Background
Darri D. Woodhouse, who is incarcerated at Westchester County Jail, brought this civil action without a lawyer. Woodhouse submitted an application to proceed without prepaying court fees, but did not submit the required prisoner authorization.
Court’s Order
The court explained that a prisoner bringing a civil action must either pay $405 in fees—$350 for filing and $55 in administrative fees—or request permission to proceed without prepaying fees. A prisoner authorization directs the correctional facility to deduct the $350 filing fee from the prisoner’s account in installments and to send the court certified account statements for the preceding six months.
Within 30 days of the order, Woodhouse must either pay the $405 or submit the completed prisoner authorization labeled with docket number 25-CV-1229 (LTS). No summons will issue at this time. If Woodhouse complies, the Clerk’s Office will process the case under its procedures; if Woodhouse does not comply within the allotted time, the action will be dismissed.
Additional Ruling
The court certified that an appeal from the order would not be taken in good faith and denied permission to proceed without prepaying fees for an appeal. The order was signed by Chief United States District Judge Laura Taylor Swain on February 14, 2025.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.