Shabazz v. Shami
- Laura Swain
- 1:25-cv-04385
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 4
In Shabazz v. Shami, Judge Swain ordered payment of fees or submission of an application to proceed without prepayment.
Danny Amen Shabazz, who must either pay the required fees or submit an application to proceed without prepaying them within 30 days; the action will be dismissed if he does not comply.
What happened
In Shabazz v. Shami, Danny Amen Shabazz filed a civil action without paying the required fees or submitting an application to proceed without prepaying them. The opinion states that Shabazz is representing himself.
The court gave Shabazz 30 days to pay $405 in fees or submit a signed application showing why he should be allowed to proceed without paying upfront. No summons will be issued yet, and the case will be processed if he complies; otherwise, the action will be dismissed.
Judge Laura Taylor Swain also stated that an appeal from this order would not be taken in good faith and denied permission to appeal without prepaying fees.
The detailed version
- Shabazz v. Shami · No. 1:25-cv-04385
- Laura Swain
- June 3, 2025
Background
Danny Amen Shabazz filed this civil action without paying the required filing and administrative fees and without submitting an application to proceed without prepaying fees. The opinion states that Shabazz is proceeding without a lawyer.
Court’s Order
The court explained that a civil action requires either payment of $405—consisting of a $350 filing fee and a $55 administrative fee—or a signed application to proceed without prepaying fees, commonly called an IFP application. The court ordered Shabazz, within 30 days of the order, to do one of those two things. If he submits the application, it must identify docket number 25-CV-4385 (LTS). If the court grants the application, he may proceed without paying the fees upfront.
The court directed that no summons issue at this time. If Shabazz complies, the case will be processed under the Clerk’s Office procedures. If he does not comply within the allowed time, the action will be dismissed. The court also certified that any appeal from the order would not be taken in good faith and denied permission to appeal without prepaying fees.
Disposition
Judge Laura Taylor Swain ordered Shabazz to pay the required fees or submit the specified application within 30 days. The order did not decide the underlying claims against the defendants.
Read the full 4-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.