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S.D.N.Y.Procedural orderFiled May 7, 2025

S.C. v. City of New York

Judge
Laura Swain
Docket
1:25-cv-03447
Court
U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
Pages
2
Civil ProcedurePro Se
In one sentence

S.C. v. City of New York: Judge Swain ordered Plaintiff to pay fees or apply to proceed without prepayment.

Who this affects

The pro se Plaintiff in this action, identified in the caption as Dr. S.C.; et al.

What happened

In S.C. v. City of New York, the pro se Plaintiff filed a civil action without paying the required fees or submitting an application to proceed without prepaying them.

The court gave Plaintiff 30 days to pay $405 or submit a signed application to proceed without prepayment. No summons will issue yet, and the case will be processed if Plaintiff complies; otherwise, the action will be dismissed.

Judge Laura Swain also ruled that an appeal from this order would not be taken in good faith and denied permission to appeal without prepaying fees.

The detailed version

For law students, journalists, and other readers who want the full reasoning

Case
S.C. v. City of New York · No. 1:25-cv-03447
Judge
Laura Swain
Date
May 7, 2025

Background

Plaintiff brought this civil action without a lawyer. The complaint was submitted without the required filing fees and without an application to proceed without prepaying fees.

Order

The court explained that filing a civil action requires either payment of $405—comprising a $350 filing fee and a $55 administrative fee—or a signed application requesting permission to proceed without prepayment of fees. Within 30 days of the order, Plaintiff must pay the $405 or submit the attached application, labeled with docket number 1:25-CV-3447 (LTS).

If the court grants the application, Plaintiff may proceed without prepaying the fees. No summons will issue at this time. If Plaintiff complies, the case will be processed under the Clerk’s Office procedures. If Plaintiff does not comply within the allowed time, the action will be dismissed.

Disposition

Judge Laura Taylor Swain certified that an appeal from this order would not be taken in good faith and denied permission to proceed without prepaying fees for purposes of an appeal. The order did not decide the underlying claims.

The authoritative version

Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.

Open opinion PDF →
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