Morris-Greene v. Doe
- Laura Swain
- 1:25-cv-04732
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 5
In Morris-Greene v. Doe, Judge Swain ordered Shawn Morris-Greene to pay filing fees or submit prisoner forms within 30 days.
Shawn Morris-Greene must either pay $405 or submit the required application and prisoner authorization within 30 days; otherwise, the action will be dismissed.
What happened
In Morris-Greene v. Doe, Shawn Morris-Greene filed a civil complaint without paying the required fees or submitting completed forms to request permission to proceed without paying the fees upfront.
The court ordered Morris-Greene, who is incarcerated and representing himself, to pay $405 or submit a signed application and prisoner authorization within 30 days. The authorization would allow installment deductions from his prison account if permission to proceed without prepayment is granted.
Judge Swain also directed that no summons issue yet and stated that the action will be dismissed if Morris-Greene does not comply. The court denied permission to proceed without prepayment for any appeal from this order.
The detailed version
- Morris-Greene v. Doe · No. 1:25-cv-04732
- Laura Swain
- June 17, 2025
Background
Shawn Morris-Greene filed a civil action without paying the required filing fees or submitting a completed application to proceed without prepaying fees and costs. The order states that Morris-Greene is incarcerated at the Rikers Island – West Facility Annex and is representing himself.
Court’s Order
The court explained that a prisoner bringing a civil action must either pay $405 in fees—a $350 filing fee and a $55 administrative fee—or submit a signed application to proceed without prepayment of fees and a prisoner authorization. The court ordered Morris-Greene to do one of those things within 30 days of the order. If he submits the forms, they must identify docket number 1:25-CV-4732 (LTS).
If the court grants the application, the Prison Litigation Reform Act requires the $350 filing fee to be collected in installments from Morris-Greene’s prison account. The court also explained that the $55 administrative fee does not apply to a person granted permission to proceed without prepayment under the cited statute.
Other Rulings and Effect
No summons will issue at this time. The case will be processed under the Clerk’s Office procedures if Morris-Greene complies. If he does not comply within the allowed time, the action will be dismissed. The court certified that an appeal from this order would not be taken in good faith and denied permission to proceed without prepayment for purposes of an appeal. The order did not address the merits of the underlying complaint.
Read the full 5-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.