Sajetta v. Doe
- Laura Swain
- 1:25-cv-04540
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 5
In Sajetta v. Doe, Chief Judge Swain ordered Anjelu Sajetta to pay fees or submit prisoner IFP papers within 30 days.
Anjelu Sajetta, an incarcerated plaintiff representing themself, must either pay the required fees or submit the specified forms within 30 days to keep the action moving.
What happened
In Sajetta v. Doe, Anjelu Sajetta filed a civil case without paying the required fees or submitting the forms needed to request permission to proceed without paying them upfront. The order states that Sajetta is incarcerated at Rikers Island–West Facility Annex and is representing themself.
The court gave Sajetta 30 days to either pay $405 in fees or submit a signed application to proceed without prepaying fees and a prisoner authorization. The authorization would allow filing-fee payments to be deducted from the prison account in installments. No summons will issue yet, and the action will be dismissed if Sajetta does not comply within the allowed time.
Chief Judge Laura Taylor Swain also ruled that any appeal from this order would not be taken in good faith and denied permission to appeal without prepaying fees. The order does not decide the underlying claims.
The detailed version
- Sajetta v. Doe · No. 1:25-cv-04540
- Laura Swain
- June 10, 2025
Background
Anjelu Sajetta filed this civil action without a filing fee, a completed application to proceed without prepaying fees, or a prisoner authorization. The order states that Sajetta is currently incarcerated at Rikers Island–West Facility Annex and is proceeding without a lawyer.
Filing-fee requirements
The court explained that a prisoner filing a civil action must either pay $405 in fees—$350 for the filing fee and $55 for the administrative fee—or request permission to proceed without prepaying fees. A prisoner seeking that permission must submit a signed application and a prisoner authorization. If permission is granted, the $350 filing fee must still be collected in installments from the prisoner's account under the Prison Litigation Reform Act. The $55 administrative fee does not apply to a person granted permission to proceed without prepaying fees.
Order
Within 30 days of the order, Sajetta must either pay the $405 in fees or submit the attached application and prisoner authorization, labeled with docket number 1:25-CV-4540 (LTS). No summons shall issue at this time. If Sajetta complies, the case shall be processed under the Clerk's Office procedures. If Sajetta fails to comply within the allowed time, the action will be dismissed.
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. The order does not address the merits of Sajetta's claims.
Read the full 5-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.