Heyward v. Transit Police Sergeant
- Vargas
- 1:25-cv-02090
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 4
In Heyward v. Transit Police Sergeant, Judge Vargas found good cause and ordered an amended complaint refiled by September 4, 2025.
Michael Heyward, the self-represented plaintiff, was given additional time to refile his amended complaint; the defendant captioned as Transit Police Sergeant remains involved in the pending lawsuit.
What happened
Michael Heyward, representing himself, sued Transit Police Sergeant under a federal civil-rights law. The court had directed the New York City Law Department to identify the previously unnamed defendant and provide a service address.
The City provided the requested information on May 20, 2025, making June 19, 2025, the deadline for Heyward to file an amended complaint. After Heyward explained that he had hand-delivered the amended complaint before the deadline, the court found good cause for his failure to comply with the filing requirement.
Judge Vargas allowed the lawsuit to proceed and ordered Heyward to refile the amended complaint by September 4, 2025. The order did not decide the underlying civil-rights claims.
The detailed version
- Heyward v. Transit Police Sergeant · No. 1:25-cv-02090
- Vargas
- Aug. 15, 2025
Background
Michael Heyward, who is proceeding without a lawyer, brought a civil-rights action under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 against a defendant captioned as Transit Police Sergeant. The court had previously treated the defendant as unnamed and directed the New York City Law Department to determine the defendant’s identity and the address for service.
The City identified the previously unnamed defendant on May 20, 2025. The court’s earlier order required Heyward to file an amended complaint within 30 days after receiving that information, making the deadline June 19, 2025.
Order to Show Cause
On July 30, 2025, the court ordered Heyward to explain why he had not filed the amended complaint by the deadline. Heyward responded on August 8, stating that he had hand-delivered the amended complaint before the deadline and that it had been stamped and placed in a basket for delivery.
Ruling
The court found that Heyward had shown good cause for not complying with the filing deadline. Judge Jeannette A. Vargas ordered Heyward to refile the amended complaint by September 4, 2025. The order allowed the lawsuit to proceed but did not rule on the merits of Heyward’s civil-rights allegations.
Read the full 4-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.