Joseph Anthony Reyna v. Graham
- Laura Swain
- 1:25-cv-06777
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 3
In Joseph Anthony Reyna v. Graham, Judge Swain ordered Reyna to sign his fee-waiver application within 30 days or face dismissal without prejudice.
Joseph Anthony Reyna, who is proceeding without a lawyer, must sign and return the required page for the case to proceed; the action may be dismissed without prejudice if he does not comply.
What happened
In Joseph Anthony Reyna v. Graham, Joseph Anthony Reyna is suing Graham without a lawyer. Reyna submitted an application to proceed without paying court fees, but the application was unsigned.
The court ordered Reyna to sign and submit the attached signature page within 30 days. The court will not issue a summons or require an answer yet. If Reyna complies, the Clerk’s Office will process the case under its normal procedures.
Chief Judge Laura Taylor Swain stated that if Reyna does not comply within the allowed time, the action will be dismissed without prejudice. She also ruled that an appeal would not be taken in good faith and denied fee-free status for any appeal.
The detailed version
- Joseph Anthony Reyna v. Graham · No. 1:25-cv-06777
- Laura Swain
- Aug. 26, 2025
Background
Joseph Anthony Reyna brought this action without a lawyer. He submitted an application to proceed without paying court fees, but he did not sign it.
Court’s Analysis
The court relied on Rule 11(a) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, which requires an unrepresented party to personally sign every pleading, written motion, and other paper filed with the court. The court therefore directed Reyna to sign and submit the attached signature page within 30 days of the order.
Order and Consequences
The court ordered that no summons or answer issue at that time. If Reyna complies, the Clerk’s Office will process the action according to its procedures. If he does not comply within the allowed period, the action will be dismissed without prejudice, meaning the order does not state that a future filing is barred.
Chief Judge Laura Taylor Swain also certified under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(3) that any appeal from the order would not be taken in good faith. The court therefore denied fee-free status for purposes of an appeal.
Read the full 3-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.