Scales v. Amazon Prime video
- Laura Swain
- 1:25-cv-02626
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 4
Scales v. Amazon Prime Video: Judge Swain ordered payment or an IFP application before the case could proceed, with dismissal without prejudice for noncompliance.
William Scales and any other plaintiffs in the action were required to pay the $405 fee or submit separate signed applications to proceed without prepaying fees; failure to comply could result in dismissal without prejudice to refiling.
What happened
In Scales v. Amazon Prime Video, William Scales and other listed plaintiffs submitted the action to the Southern District of New York by email. The opinion does not describe the claims or the events underlying the lawsuit.
The court said a civil case requires either payment of the required fees or a request to proceed without paying them in advance. The order required each plaintiff seeking that option to submit a separate signed application.
Within 30 days, the plaintiffs had to pay $405 or submit a completed and signed application. No summons would issue and no answer would be required until one of those steps occurred. Judge Laura Taylor Swain ordered that failure to comply, without obtaining an extension, would result in dismissal without prejudice to refiling; she also denied fee-waiver status for an appeal from the order.
The detailed version
- Scales v. Amazon Prime video · No. 1:25-cv-02626
- Laura Swain
- Apr. 4, 2025
Background
William Scales and other plaintiffs submitted this civil action to the court by email. The opinion does not state what claims they brought or provide facts about the dispute with Amazon Prime Video.
Order
The court explained that a plaintiff proceeding with a civil action must either pay the required fees or submit a signed application to proceed without prepaying them. The order identified the total fees as $405, consisting of a $350 filing fee and a $55 administrative fee. If more than one plaintiff sought to proceed without prepaying fees, each plaintiff had to complete, sign, and submit a separate application.
The plaintiffs had 30 days from the date of the order to pay the fees or submit a completed and signed application. Until the fees were paid or an application was received, the court would take no further action, no summons would issue, and the defendant would not have to answer. If the plaintiffs complied, the clerk's office would process the case under its procedures. If the court granted an application, the plaintiff would be allowed to proceed without prepaying the fees.
Disposition
Judge Laura Taylor Swain ordered the plaintiffs to pay the fees or submit the required application within 30 days. If a plaintiff failed to comply and did not request an extension, the action would be dismissed without prejudice to refiling. The court also 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.
Read the full 4-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.