Balchan v. New York City Housing Authority
- Laura Swain
- 1:25-cv-05574
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 4
In Balchan v. New York City Housing Authority, Judge Swain required payment or an IFP application before the case could proceed.
Romel Balchan must, within 30 days, either pay $405 in fees or submit a completed and signed application to proceed without prepaying fees. The case will not proceed until one of those steps occurs, and failure to comply will result in dismissal without prejudice to refiling.
What happened
In Balchan v. New York City Housing Authority, Romel Balchan submitted an action against the New York City Housing Authority and other defendants by email. The court assigned the action a docket number but did not address the underlying claims.
The court ordered Balchan, within 30 days, either to pay $405 in fees or submit a completed and signed application to proceed without paying the fees in advance. No further action would be taken, and no summons or answer would be required, until one of those steps occurred.
Judge Laura Taylor Swain stated that failing to comply, or failing to request more time, would result in dismissal without prejudice to refiling. She also denied payment-free status for any appeal and certified that an appeal would not be taken in good faith.
The detailed version
- Balchan v. New York City Housing Authority · No. 1:25-cv-05574
- Laura Swain
- July 18, 2025
Background
Romel Balchan submitted this action to the Southern District of New York by email against the New York City Housing Authority and other defendants. The order does not describe the underlying claims or address their merits.
Filing Fee or Fee-Waiver Application
The court explained that a person starting a civil action must either pay the required fees or request permission to proceed without paying them in advance. The required amount was $405, consisting of a $350 filing fee and a $55 administrative fee. Within 30 days of the order, Balchan had to pay the fees or complete, sign, and submit the attached application to proceed without prepaying fees, commonly called an IFP application. The court stated that if it granted the application, Balchan could proceed without prepaying the fees.
Until payment or a completed and signed application was received, the court would take no further action, and no summons would issue or answer would be required. If Balchan failed to comply or failed to request an extension of time, the action would be dismissed without prejudice to refiling.
Appeal
Judge Laura Taylor Swain certified under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(3) that an appeal from the order would not be taken in good faith and denied IFP status for purposes of an appeal. The order directs the steps needed for the case to proceed but does not decide the underlying dispute.
Read the full 4-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.