Song v. President and Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York
- Louis Stanton
- 1:25-cv-02772
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 4
Song v. Columbia University: Judge Swain ordered payment or an application to proceed without fees before the case can move forward.
Eugenia Song, whose case cannot proceed until she pays the required fees or submits a completed and signed application to proceed without prepaying them; failure to comply may lead to dismissal without prejudice to refiling.
What happened
In Song v. President and Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York, the court received the action by email and assigned it a docket number. The order did not address the claims or their merits.
The court gave Eugenia Song 30 days to pay $405 in filing and administrative fees or submit a signed application showing an inability to pay. Until payment or a completed application is received, the court said it would take no further action, and no summons or answer would be required.
The order was signed by Chief United States District Judge Laura Taylor Swain. If Song does not comply or request more time, the action will be dismissed without prejudice to refiling. The court also denied fee-waiver status for any appeal from this order.
The detailed version
- Song v. President and Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York · No. 1:25-cv-02772
- Louis Stanton
- Apr. 9, 2025
Background
Eugenia Song submitted this civil action to the Southern District of New York by email. The case was assigned docket number 1:25-CV-2772 (LTS). The opinion does not address the substance of Song’s claims against President and Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York or the other named defendants.
Order
The court ordered Song, within 30 days, to do one of two things: pay $405 in fees, consisting of a $350 filing fee and a $55 administrative fee, or submit a completed and signed application to proceed without prepaying fees. The application is commonly called an application to proceed in forma pauperis, meaning an application to proceed without paying the fees in advance.
The order states that no further action will be taken, and no summons will issue or answer will be required, until the fees are paid or a completed and signed application is received. If the court grants the application, Song may proceed without prepaying fees. If proper payment had already been submitted, the case would proceed after the payment was processed.
Disposition
Judge Laura Taylor Swain directed Song to pay the fees or submit the application within the stated period. If Song fails to comply or fails to request an extension of time, the action will be dismissed without prejudice to refiling. The court also certified that an appeal from this order would not be taken in good faith and denied authorization to proceed without prepaying fees for purposes of an appeal. This is a procedural order; it does not decide the underlying claims.
Read the full 4-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.