Murray v. Pratt
- James Oetken
- 1:22-cv-00638
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 1
In Murray v. Pratt, Judge Oetken dismissed Robert Murray’s case without prejudice because he did not pay the required filing fee.
Robert Murray, whose case was dismissed without prejudice after he did not pay the $405 filing fee or contact the Court by the deadline.
What happened
In Murray v. Pratt, the court had revoked Robert Murray’s status allowing him to proceed without paying the filing fee upfront and ordered him to pay the $405 fee by June 10, 2025.
Murray did not pay the fee and did not contact the court to request more time or provide a status update. The court treated this as a failure to move the case forward and follow its order.
Judge James Oetken dismissed the case without prejudice, meaning Murray may file a new action if he pays the filing fee in that new action. The clerk was directed to close the case and mail Murray a copy of the order.
The detailed version
- Murray v. Pratt · No. 1:22-cv-00638
- James Oetken
- July 14, 2025
Background
On May 20, 2025, the Court issued an amended order revoking Plaintiff Robert Murray’s status allowing him to proceed without paying the filing fee upfront. The Court ordered Murray to pay the $405 filing fee by June 10, 2025, or face dismissal.
Court’s Analysis
The Court stated that Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 41(b) allows a district court to dismiss an action on its own after notifying a plaintiff that dismissal may occur when the plaintiff fails to move the case forward or follow court rules. The Court found that Murray had not paid the fee and had not contacted the Court to request an extension or provide a general status letter.
Ruling
The Court dismissed Murray’s case without prejudice to refiling, provided that he pays the filing fee in a new action. The Clerk of Court was directed to terminate the case and mail a copy of the order to Murray.
Read the full 1-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.