Christian v. New York State Homes and Community Renewal
- Laura Swain
- 1:25-cv-06018
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 4
In Christian v. New York State Homes and Community Renewal, Judge Swain ordered Theodore Christian to pay fees or submit an IFP application.
Theodore Christian must either pay the required fees or submit a completed and signed IFP application within 30 days to avoid dismissal without prejudice to refiling. New York State Homes and Community Renewal was not required to answer at this stage.
What happened
Christian v. New York State Homes and Community Renewal began when Theodore Christian submitted the action by email. The court had not yet required the defendant to answer or issued a summons.
Judge Swain ordered Christian, within 30 days, either to pay $405 in fees or submit a completed and signed application to proceed without paying the fees upfront. The order explained how payment could be made and stated that the application would be reviewed if submitted.
The court took no further action until payment or an application was received. Judge Swain ordered that the action would be dismissed without prejudice to refiling if Christian did not comply or request more time. The court also denied permission to appeal without paying fees.
The detailed version
- Christian v. New York State Homes and Community Renewal · No. 1:25-cv-06018
- Laura Swain
- July 28, 2025
What the order concerns
Theodore Christian submitted this civil action to the court by email. The order addresses the filing fee or, alternatively, an application to proceed without prepaying fees, commonly called an IFP application. It does not decide the underlying claims against New York State Homes and Community Renewal.
The court’s directive
The court ordered Christian to do one of two things within 30 days of July 28, 2025: pay $405 in fees, consisting of a $350 filing fee and a $55 administrative fee, or complete, sign, and submit the attached IFP application if he could not afford the fees. The order describes acceptable payment methods and explains that a completed application would be processed under the applicable court procedures.
Until payment was made or a completed and signed IFP application was received, the court stated that it would take no further action, and no summons would issue or answer would be required. If the court granted the IFP application, Christian would be allowed to proceed without prepaying fees.
Disposition
Judge Laura Taylor Swain ordered that the action would be dismissed without prejudice to refiling if Christian failed to comply within the 30-day period or failed to request an extension. The court also certified that an appeal would not be taken in good faith and denied IFP status for purposes of an appeal. The order did not rule on the merits of Christian’s claims.
Read the full 4-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.