Dodd v. State of New York
- Laura Swain
- 1:25-cv-03450
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In Dodd v. State of New York, Judge Swain ordered Alexia Dodd to pay fees or file an IFP application within 30 days.
Alexia Dodd must either pay the $405 fee or submit a completed and signed application to proceed without prepaying fees within 30 days. The case will not move forward until she does so, and failure to comply will result in dismissal without prejudice to refiling. The defendants were not yet required to answer.
What happened
Dodd v. State of New York was submitted to the Southern District of New York by email and assigned a case number. The court had not yet issued summonses or required the defendants to respond.
The court ordered Alexia Dodd to pay $405 in fees or submit a completed and signed application to proceed without paying the fees in advance within 30 days. The court said it would take no further action until one of those requirements was met.
If Dodd does not comply or request more time, the action will be dismissed without prejudice to refiling. Judge Laura Taylor Swain also denied permission to appeal without paying fees, finding that an appeal would not be taken in good faith.
The detailed version
- Dodd v. State of New York · No. 1:25-cv-03450
- Laura Swain
- Apr. 25, 2025
Background
Alexia Dodd submitted this civil action to the Southern District of New York by email. The opinion does not describe the claims or address their merits. The case was assigned docket number 25-CV-3450.
Order
The court explained that a plaintiff starting a civil action must either pay the required fees or ask to proceed without paying them in advance. The total fee identified in the order was $405, consisting of a $350 filing fee and a $55 administrative fee.
Within 30 days of the order, Dodd must either pay the fees or complete, sign, and submit an application to proceed without prepaying fees. The court directed that no further action would be taken, and that no summons would issue and no answer would be required, until the payment or application was received. If Dodd complies, the case will be processed under the Clerk’s Office procedures.
Disposition
The court did not dismiss the action immediately. It ordered Dodd to pay the fees or submit the application within the allowed period. If Dodd fails to comply or request an extension, the action will be dismissed without prejudice to refiling. The court also certified under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(3) that an appeal from this order would not be taken in good faith and denied permission to appeal without prepaying fees.
Judge Laura Taylor Swain, Chief United States District Judge, signed the order on April 25, 2025.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.