Watkins v. Monroe College
- Laura Swain
- 1:25-cv-03533
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 1
In Watkins v. Monroe College, Judge Swain dismissed the complaint without prejudice because Watkins neither paid the filing fees nor submitted authorization.
Jevon D. Watkins’s complaint was dismissed without prejudice because he did not submit the required prisoner authorization or pay the filing fees. The court also denied fee-free status for an appeal.
What happened
In Watkins v. Monroe College, the court had ordered the plaintiff to submit a completed prisoner authorization or pay the $405 filing fees within 30 days. The order warned that failing to do so would lead to dismissal.
The plaintiff did neither. The court therefore dismissed the complaint without prejudice, meaning the dismissal did not bar refiling.
Judge Laura Taylor Swain also denied fee-free status for any appeal, finding that an appeal would not be taken in good faith, and directed the clerk to enter judgment.
The detailed version
- Watkins v. Monroe College · No. 1:25-cv-03533
- Laura Swain
- July 8, 2025
Background
By an order dated May 9, 2025, the court directed Jevon D. Watkins to submit a completed prisoner authorization or pay the $405 required filing fees within 30 days. The order stated that failure to comply would result in dismissal of the complaint.
What the Court Did
The opinion states that Watkins did not submit the authorization or pay the fees. The court dismissed the complaint without prejudice under 28 U.S.C. §§ 1914 and 1915. The opinion does not address the allegations or legal merits of the complaint.
Appeal and Judgment
Judge Laura Taylor Swain certified under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(3) that any appeal from the order would not be taken in good faith. The court therefore denied fee-free status for purposes of an appeal and directed the clerk to enter judgment. The dismissal was without prejudice.
Read the full 1-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.