Holt v. Doe
- Laura Swain
- 1:25-cv-06497
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 5
In Holt v. Doe, Judge Swain ordered Richard Holt to pay filing fees or submit prison forms within 30 days, or the action will be dismissed.
Richard Holt, who must either pay the required fees or submit the specified application and prisoner authorization within 30 days to avoid dismissal of the action.
What happened
In Holt v. Doe, Richard Holt filed a civil action without paying the required fees or submitting a completed application to proceed without prepaying fees and a prisoner authorization. The opinion says Holt is incarcerated and representing himself.
The court gave Holt 30 days to pay $405 or submit the required application and authorization. The authorization would allow filing-fee payments to be deducted from his prison account in installments. No summons would issue at that time.
If Holt does not comply within 30 days, the action will be dismissed. The court also denied permission to appeal without prepaying fees, stating that an appeal would not be taken in good faith. Chief Judge Laura Taylor Swain issued the order.
The detailed version
- Holt v. Doe · No. 1:25-cv-06497
- Laura Swain
- Aug. 13, 2025
Background
Richard Holt filed this civil action without paying the required fees and without submitting a completed application to proceed without prepaying fees or a prisoner authorization. The opinion states that Holt is incarcerated at the Rikers Island – West Facility Annex and is representing himself.
Required filing-fee options
The court explained that a prisoner starting a civil action must either pay $405 in fees—a $350 filing fee and a $55 administrative fee—or request permission to proceed without prepaying fees. To make that request, Holt must submit a signed application and a prisoner authorization. If permission is granted, the $350 filing fee must still be collected in installments from his prison account, and the authorization directs the facility to make those deductions and provide the court with certified account statements for the previous six months.
Order and disposition
The court ordered Holt, within 30 days of the order, to either pay the $405 in fees or submit the application and prisoner authorization labeled with docket number 1:25-CV-6497. No summons would issue at that time. The court stated that the action will be dismissed if Holt fails to comply within the allowed period. The court also certified that an appeal from the order would not be taken in good faith and denied permission to appeal without prepaying fees. The order addressed filing requirements and did not decide the underlying claims.
Read the full 5-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.