Williams v. Doe
- Laura Swain
- 1:25-cv-05091
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 5
In Williams v. Doe, Judge Swain ordered Alshon Williams to pay fees or submit forms within 30 days, warning dismissal for noncompliance.
Alshon Williams, an incarcerated plaintiff representing himself, must either pay the stated fees or submit the required application and prisoner authorization within 30 days to avoid dismissal of the action.
What happened
In Williams v. Doe, Alshon Williams filed a civil action without paying the required fees or submitting the forms needed to ask to proceed without paying them upfront. The order states that Williams is incarcerated and representing himself.
The court gave Williams 30 days to pay $405 or submit a signed application and authorization allowing installment deductions from his prison account. No summons will issue yet, and the action will be dismissed if he does not comply within the deadline.
Judge Laura Taylor Swain also denied permission to appeal without prepaying fees, certifying that an appeal would not be taken in good faith. The order did not decide the claims’ merits.
The detailed version
- Williams v. Doe · No. 1:25-cv-05091
- Laura Swain
- June 25, 2025
Background
Alshon Williams filed this civil action without paying the filing fees and without submitting a completed application to proceed without prepaying fees or a prisoner authorization. The opinion states that Williams is incarcerated at the Rikers Island – West Facility Annex and is proceeding without a lawyer.
Fees and required filings
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 submit the required application and authorization. If the court grants the application, the $350 filing fee must still be collected in installments from the prisoner’s account. The $55 administrative fee does not apply to a person granted this status.
Order
The court ordered Williams, within 30 days of the order, either to pay the $405 in fees or to submit the attached application and prisoner authorization. The documents must identify docket number 1:25-CV-5091 (LTS). No summons will issue at this time. If Williams 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 under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(3) that an appeal from the order would not be taken in good faith and denied permission to appeal without prepaying fees. The order did not address the underlying claims.
Read the full 5-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.