Lee v. HDR Global Trading Limited
- Andrew Carter
- 1:20-cv-03232
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In Lee v. HDR Global Trading Limited, Judge Carter dismissed Lee for failing to follow court orders and directed termination of the action.
Drew Lee, who was representing himself, was dismissed from the action; the Clerk of Court was directed to terminate the action.
What happened
Lee v. HDR Global Trading Limited involved Plaintiff Drew Lee, who was representing himself. A magistrate judge ordered Lee twice to file a letter stating whether he intended to continue prosecuting the case.
Lee missed both deadlines and did not show that he wished to continue pursuing his claims. The second order warned that failing to comply could lead to sanctions, including dismissal for failure to prosecute.
Judge Andrew L. Carter, Jr. dismissed Lee from the action and, based on a stipulation and order filed earlier that day, directed the Clerk of Court to terminate the action.
The detailed version
- Lee v. HDR Global Trading Limited · No. 1:20-cv-03232
- Andrew Carter
- June 30, 2025
Background
Plaintiff Drew Lee was proceeding without a lawyer. On April 28, 2025, Magistrate Judge Stewart D. Aaron ordered Lee to file a letter by May 9 stating whether he intended to continue prosecuting the case. Lee did not file the letter.
On May 27, 2025, Judge Aaron issued a second order directing Lee to file a letter by June 17 stating whether he intended to continue prosecuting his claims. That order warned that failing to comply could result in sanctions, including dismissal of Lee’s claims for failure to prosecute. Lee did not comply with that order either and made no showing that he wished to continue the case.
Ruling
The court explained that a district court may dismiss an action on its own authority and under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 41(b) when a party fails to prosecute or fails to follow a court order. Accordingly, Judge Andrew L. Carter, Jr. dismissed Plaintiff Lee from the action. The court also directed the Clerk of Court to terminate the action because of a stipulation and order filed earlier that day. The opinion does not state that the dismissal was with or without prejudice.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.