Hilton v. United-Consumer
- Laura Swain
- 1:25-cv-01155
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In Hilton v. United-Consumer, Judge Swain ordered Joyce Oliver to pay fees or submit an IFP application within 30 days.
Joyce Oliver must either pay the $405 in fees or submit a signed application to proceed without prepaying fees within 30 days, or she will be dismissed from the action. The order also affects the plaintiffs’ ability to obtain a summons and proceed with the case.
What happened
Robert Hilton and Joyce Oliver sued United-Consumer, UCFS, and others in Hilton v. United-Consumer. The plaintiffs are representing themselves without lawyers.
Hilton submitted an application to proceed without prepaying court fees, but Oliver did not submit her own application. The court ordered Oliver, within 30 days, either to pay $405 in fees or submit a signed application.
Judge Laura Taylor Swain ordered that no summons issue yet. If Oliver does not comply, she will be dismissed from the action; the court also denied permission to appeal without prepaying fees.
The detailed version
- Hilton v. United-Consumer · No. 1:25-cv-01155
- Laura Swain
- Apr. 7, 2025
Background
Robert Hilton and Joyce Oliver brought this civil action without lawyers. The complaint was filed with an application from Hilton to proceed without prepaying court fees, but Oliver did not submit her own application.
Court’s Order
The court explained that proceeding with a civil action requires payment of $405: a $350 filing fee and a $55 administrative fee. Alternatively, a plaintiff may request authorization to proceed without prepayment of fees by submitting a signed application under 28 U.S.C. § 1915. The court ordered Oliver, within 30 days of the order, either to pay the $405 or submit the attached application labeled with docket number 25-CV-1155 (LTS).
If the court grants Oliver’s application, the plaintiffs may proceed without prepaying the fees. If Oliver does not submit an application or otherwise comply within the allowed time, she will be dismissed from the action. No summons will issue at this time, and the case will be processed through the Clerk’s Office if Oliver complies.
Disposition
Judge Laura Taylor Swain directed Oliver to pay the required fees or submit an application to proceed without prepayment of fees. The court also certified that any appeal would not be taken in good faith and denied permission to appeal without prepaying fees.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.