Rodriguez v. United States Postal Service of America
- Laura Swain
- 1:25-cv-01967
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 5
Rodriguez v. United States Postal Service of America: Judge Stanton dismissed the action as frivolous and declined to allow an amended complaint.
Enki Rodriguez's action was dismissed as frivolous, and he was not granted permission to amend the complaint. The United States Postal Service of America was the named defendant. The opinion does not award relief to either party.
What happened
In Rodriguez v. United States Postal Service of America, Enki Rodriguez, representing himself, sued the United States Postal Service. He alleged that an FBI and New York City Police Department task force altered his name on his passport in 2016. The complaint did not otherwise discuss the Postal Service or specify the relief he wanted.
Because Rodriguez was allowed to proceed without paying the filing fee, the court screened his complaint. It found that his allegations of identity fraud and a government conspiracy lacked factual support and amounted to vague, implausible suspicions. The court therefore determined that the action was frivolous.
Judge Louis L. Stanton dismissed the action as frivolous, directed the Clerk of Court to enter judgment, and declined to grant Rodriguez permission to amend the complaint because the court found that amendment could not cure the defects.
The detailed version
- Rodriguez v. United States Postal Service of America · No. 1:25-cv-01967
- Laura Swain
- July 29, 2025
Background
Enki Rodriguez filed the action against the United States Postal Service of America and invoked federal-question and diversity jurisdiction. He was representing himself and had been allowed to proceed without prepaying the filing fee. Rodriguez alleged that, in December 2016, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New York City Police Department's Joint Task Force committed identity fraud involving his passport by altering his name in various ways. He said he reported the issue to the U.S. Embassy and attached copies of a Puerto Rico Mail In Birth Certification Application. He asserted that the conduct violated his rights under the Bill of Rights and the amendments that followed. The Postal Service was not otherwise mentioned in the complaint, and Rodriguez did not specify the relief he sought.
Legal standard
Under the statute governing cases filed without prepaying fees, the court must dismiss a complaint that is frivolous or malicious, fails to state a claim for relief, seeks money from a legally immune defendant, or falls outside the court's subject-matter jurisdiction. A claim is factually frivolous when its factual allegations are clearly baseless, fanciful, fantastic, or delusional. The court also noted that it must read a self-represented person's complaint generously, but the complaint still must provide a short and plain statement showing an entitlement to relief.
Court's analysis
The court concluded that Rodriguez provided no factual basis for his assertions that he was the victim of a government conspiracy. It characterized the allegations as vague suspicions and unsupported conclusions that were not plausible. The court therefore dismissed the claims as frivolous under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2)(B)(i).
Leave to amend and disposition
The court explained that self-represented plaintiffs generally receive an opportunity to amend defective complaints, but amendment is unnecessary when it would be futile. It found that Rodriguez's complaint did not suggest that he had additional facts that could cure the identified defects. The court declined to grant leave to amend, dismissed the action as frivolous, and directed the Clerk of Court to enter judgment dismissing the action.
Read the full 5-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.