Watson v. New York City
- Laura Swain
- 1:25-cv-03005
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 4
In Watson v. New York City, Judge Swain ordered plaintiffs to pay fees or submit applications, postponing summonses and warning of dismissal for noncompliance.
The plaintiffs in this action, including Sebro, Johnson, Baptiste, and Thomas, were required to pay the $405 fee or individually submit signed applications to proceed without prepaying fees within 30 days. Failure to comply could result in dismissal of their claims; the defendants were not subject to obligations under this order.
What happened
In Watson v. New York City, plaintiffs Sebro, Johnson, Baptiste, and Thomas submitted a civil complaint without paying the required fees or providing applications to proceed without prepaying them. The order does not describe the underlying claims.
The court gave all plaintiffs 30 days to either pay one total of $405 or each submit a signed application to proceed without prepaying fees. No summons would issue at that time, and the case would be processed under the Clerk’s Office procedures if the plaintiffs complied. The order warned that a plaintiff who failed to comply could have their claims dismissed.
Judge Laura Taylor Swain issued the order on May 6, 2025. She also certified that an appeal would not be taken in good faith and denied permission to appeal without prepaying fees.
The detailed version
- Watson v. New York City · No. 1:25-cv-03005
- Laura Swain
- May 6, 2025
Background
The caption identifies Alexander Watson, Jr. III and others as plaintiffs and New York City and others as defendants. The order specifically states that plaintiffs Sebro, Johnson, Baptiste, and Thomas brought the action without lawyers. They submitted the complaint without paying the required filing fees and without submitting applications to proceed without prepaying fees.
Fee or application requirement
The court stated that proceeding with a civil action required either payment of $405—consisting of a $350 filing fee and a $55 administrative fee—or a request to proceed without prepaying fees. Each plaintiff seeking that option had to complete, sign, and submit a separate application. The court gave all plaintiffs 30 days from the date of the order to pay one total fee or submit the required applications.
If the applications were granted, the relevant plaintiff or plaintiffs would be allowed to proceed without prepaying the fees. The order directed that any application identify docket number 1:25-CV-3005 (LTS).
Effect of the order
No summons would issue at that time. If the plaintiffs complied, the case would be processed under the Clerk’s Office procedures. The court stated that if any of the identified plaintiffs failed to comply within the allowed period, their claims would be dismissed.
Appeal-related certification
Judge Swain certified under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(3) that an appeal from the order would not be taken in good faith. The court therefore denied permission to appeal without prepaying fees. The order did not decide the merits of the plaintiffs’ underlying claims.
Read the full 4-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.