Ledesma v. Doe
- Laura Swain
- 1:25-cv-02261
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 5
In Ledesma v. Doe, Chief Judge Swain ordered Luis Ledesma to pay filing fees or submit forms seeking permission to proceed without prepayment.
Luis Ledesma, the incarcerated plaintiff representing himself, must pay the required fees or submit the required application and prisoner authorization within 30 days to avoid dismissal of the action. The opinion does not describe any effect on defendant Doe.
What happened
Ledesma v. Doe is a civil case filed by Luis Ledesma, who is incarcerated and representing himself without a lawyer. The order does not address the claims’ underlying issues.
Ledesma submitted his complaint without paying the required fees and without a completed application to proceed without prepaying fees or a prisoner authorization. The court gave him 30 days to pay $405 or submit the required forms. No summons will issue yet.
Chief Judge Laura Taylor Swain ordered that the case be processed if Ledesma complies and stated that the action will be dismissed if he does not. She also denied permission to appeal without prepaying fees, finding that an appeal would not be taken in good faith.
The detailed version
- Ledesma v. Doe · No. 1:25-cv-02261
- Laura Swain
- Mar. 20, 2025
Background Luis Ledesma filed this civil action while incarcerated at Rikers Island – West Facility Annex and representing himself. The opinion does not describe the claims against Doe or address their merits.
Filing-fee requirements Ledesma submitted the complaint without the required fees, a completed application to proceed without prepaying fees, or a prisoner authorization. The court explained that filing a civil action ordinarily requires $405: a $350 filing fee and a $55 administrative fee. A prisoner seeking to proceed without prepaying fees must submit a signed application and authorization. If that request is granted, the $350 filing fee is still collected in installments from the prisoner’s account; the $55 administrative fee does not apply to a person granted that status.
Order Within 30 days of the order, Ledesma must either pay the $405 in fees or submit the application and prisoner authorization labeled with docket number 1:25-CV-2261 (LTS). No summons will issue at this time. If he complies, the case will be processed under the Clerk’s Office procedures. If he does not comply within the allowed time, the action will be dismissed.
Chief United States District Judge Laura Taylor Swain also certified that an appeal from the order would not be taken in good faith and denied permission to appeal without prepaying fees. The order is procedural and does not decide the underlying claims.
Read the full 5-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.