Endeley v. Rajkumar
- Laura Swain
- 1:25-cv-05744
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 3
In Endeley v. Rajkumar, Judge Swain transferred the case to the Eastern District because venue was improper.
Saint Jermaine Endeley’s action against Jenifer Rajkumar was transferred from the Southern District of New York to the Eastern District of New York; further proceedings and pending motions were left to the receiving court.
What happened
In Endeley v. Rajkumar, Saint Jermaine Endeley, representing herself, sued Jenifer Rajkumar under state law and invoked diversity jurisdiction. Endeley alleged that Rajkumar violated her rights in Queens County and lived there.
The Southern District of New York ruled that venue was improper there because Rajkumar did not reside in that district and the events described occurred in Queens County. The court transferred the case to the Eastern District of New York rather than dismissing it.
Judge Laura Taylor Swain directed the Clerk to transfer the case, left fee-related and other motions for the receiving court, and ordered that no summons issue from the Southern District. The court closed the case there, terminated pending motions, and denied fee-free status for any appeal.
The detailed version
- Endeley v. Rajkumar · No. 1:25-cv-05744
- Laura Swain
- July 15, 2025
Background
Saint Jermaine Endeley, proceeding without a lawyer, filed a state-law action against Jenifer Rajkumar. Endeley invoked the court’s diversity-of-citizenship jurisdiction. The opinion states that Endeley resides in Staten Island, Richmond County, New York; that Rajkumar resides in Woodhaven, Queens County, New York; and that Endeley alleged violations occurring in Queens County.
Venue analysis
The court analyzed the federal venue statute, 28 U.S.C. § 1391. It concluded that venue was not proper in the Southern District of New York because Rajkumar did not reside there and the events giving rise to the claims did not occur there. The court determined that venue was proper in the Eastern District of New York because the claims arose in Queens County and Rajkumar resides there.
Ruling and case status
Under 28 U.S.C. § 1406(a), the court transferred the action to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York in the interest of justice. The order did not decide the underlying state-law claims. It left the question of whether Endeley could proceed without prepaying fees, as well as Endeley’s other motions, to the transferee court. The court directed that no summons issue from the Southern District, closed the case there, and terminated all pending motions. It also certified that an appeal would not be taken in good faith and denied fee-free status for purposes of an appeal.
Read the full 3-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.