Whitaker v. Doe
- Laura Swain
- 1:25-cv-04532
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 1
In Whitaker v. Doe, Judge Swain dismissed the action and denied permission to appeal without paying filing fees.
Michael Whitaker’s action was dismissed, and his request to appeal without paying filing fees was denied.
What happened
In Whitaker v. Doe, the court entered a judgment dismissing Michael Whitaker’s action against Doe. The judgment gives no details about the claims or the reason for dismissal; it refers to an August 12, 2025, order that is not included here.
The court also certified that an appeal would not be taken in good faith and denied fee-free status for purposes of an appeal. This means the court would not allow an appeal without payment under the cited statute.
The action was dismissed, and appeal-related fee-free status was denied. Chief United States District Judge Laura Taylor Swain signed the judgment on August 14, 2025.
The detailed version
- Whitaker v. Doe · No. 1:25-cv-04532
- Laura Swain
- Aug. 14, 2025
Background
The judgment concerns an action brought by Michael Whitaker against Doe. It states that the action is dismissed for the reasons given in an August 12, 2025, order. That earlier order is not included in the provided text, so the legal claims and the court’s reasons for dismissal cannot be determined from this judgment alone.
Ruling
The court dismissed the action. It also certified under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(3) that any appeal from the judgment would not be taken in good faith. Based on that certification, the court denied in forma pauperis status—that is, permission to appeal without paying the required filing fees—for purposes of an appeal. The judgment cites Coppedge v. United States for the standard that good faith exists when an appellant seeks review of a nonfrivolous issue.
Effect
The action was dismissed, and Michael Whitaker was denied fee-free status for an appeal. The provided judgment does not state whether the dismissal was with or without prejudice. Chief United States District Judge Laura Taylor Swain signed the judgment.
Read the full 1-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.