Torres v. Doe
- Laura Swain
- 1:25-cv-04972
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 3
In Torres v. Doe, Judge Swain ordered the unrepresented plaintiff to pay fees or apply to proceed without prepayment and submit an original signature.
Alexis Torres, who must satisfy the fee or fee-application requirement and provide an original signature for the case to proceed.
What happened
In Torres v. Doe, Alexis Torres filed a complaint without paying the required fees, submitting an application to proceed without prepayment, or providing a signature. The opinion says Torres is detained at the West Facility Annex on Rikers Island and is representing himself.
The court gave Torres 30 days to either pay $405 or submit the required application and prisoner authorization forms. He must also submit the complaint’s signature page with an original signature. No summons will issue at this time.
Judge Laura Taylor Swain ordered these steps and stated that the case will be dismissed if Torres does not comply within 30 days. The court also denied permission to proceed without prepaying fees for any appeal from this order.
The detailed version
- Torres v. Doe · No. 1:25-cv-04972
- Laura Swain
- June 18, 2025
Background
Alexis Torres filed this civil action without paying the filing fees, completing an application to proceed without prepayment of fees, or submitting a prisoner authorization. The opinion states that Torres is detained at the West Facility Annex on Rikers Island and is proceeding without a lawyer. Torres also submitted the complaint without a signature.
Filing-fee requirements
The court explained that a prisoner must either pay $405 in fees—a $350 filing fee and a $55 administrative fee—or submit an application to proceed in forma pauperis, meaning without prepaying the fees, together with a prisoner authorization. If the court grants that application, the $350 filing fee is collected in installments from the prisoner’s account. The authorization also directs the detention facility to make those deductions and provide certified account statements for the previous six months.
Signature requirement and order
The court relied on Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 11(a) and Local Civil Rule 11.1(a), which require an unrepresented party to sign a pleading. The court directed Torres, within 30 days of the order, to either pay the $405 or submit the application and prisoner authorization, and to submit the complaint’s signature page with an original signature. The forms should identify docket number 25-CV-4972 (LTS).
No summons will issue at this time. The court stated that, if Torres 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 an appeal would not be taken in good faith and denied permission to proceed without prepaying fees for an appeal from this order. Judge Laura Taylor Swain signed the order.
Read the full 3-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.