Friedeberg v. FrogTape Corporation
- Laura Swain
- 1:25-cv-03961
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 3
In Friedeberg v. FrogTape, Judge Swain ordered a self-represented plaintiff to sign her complaint within 30 days or face dismissal without prejudice.
Donna L. Friedeberg must sign and submit the required signature page within 30 days for the action to be processed; FrogTape Corporation has not yet been required to answer, and no summons has issued.
What happened
In Friedeberg v. FrogTape Corporation, Donna L. Friedeberg brought the action without a lawyer, but her complaint was unsigned. The court said court rules require an unrepresented party to personally sign a complaint.
The court directed Friedeberg to sign and submit the attached signature page within 30 days. No summons or answer will issue yet. If she complies, the Clerk’s Office will process the case; if she does not, the action will be dismissed without prejudice.
Judge Laura Taylor Swain also determined that an appeal would not be taken in good faith and denied permission to appeal without prepaying fees.
The detailed version
- Friedeberg v. FrogTape Corporation · No. 1:25-cv-03961
- Laura Swain
- May 15, 2025
Background
Donna L. Friedeberg filed this action without a lawyer. The complaint she submitted did not contain her signature.
Court’s directive
The court cited Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 11(a), which requires every pleading, written motion, and other paper to be signed by an unrepresented party personally. The court directed Friedeberg to sign and submit the attached signature page within 30 days of the order.
No summons or answer will issue at this time. If Friedeberg complies, the case will be processed under the Clerk’s Office procedures. If she does not comply within the permitted time, the action will be dismissed without prejudice, meaning the order does not state that refiling is barred.
Appeal-fee ruling
The court certified under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(3) that any appeal from the order would not be taken in good faith. It therefore denied permission to appeal without prepaying fees.
Disposition
The order directs Friedeberg to provide the required signature and sets a possible dismissal without prejudice if she fails to do so. It does not decide the underlying claims against FrogTape Corporation.
Read the full 3-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.