Liggins v. Rikard
- Laura Swain
- 1:25-cv-06915
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In Liggins v. Rikard, Judge Swain ordered Adrian Liggins to pay the filing fee or submit an application to proceed without prepayment.
Adrian Liggins, whose habeas action must satisfy the fee or application requirement within 30 days or it will be dismissed; Rikard is not required to answer at this time.
What happened
Adrian Liggins filed a habeas petition in Liggins v. Rikard without paying the $5 filing fee or submitting an application to proceed without prepayment of fees.
The court gave Liggins 30 days to pay the fee or submit a signed application. If he does not comply, the action will be dismissed; no response from Rikard is required at this time.
Judge Laura Taylor Swain also denied permission to proceed without prepayment for any appeal, certifying that an appeal would not be taken in good faith. The order did not decide the habeas petition's underlying issues.
The detailed version
- Liggins v. Rikard · No. 1:25-cv-06915
- Laura Swain
- Aug. 26, 2025
Background
Adrian Liggins, who is proceeding without a lawyer, filed a petition seeking habeas relief. The opinion states that he submitted the petition without the required $5.00 filing fee and without an application to proceed without prepayment of fees.
Order
The court directed Liggins, within 30 days of the order, to do one of two things: pay the $5.00 filing fee, or complete and submit the attached application to proceed without prepayment of fees. If he submits the application, it must identify docket number 25-CV-6915 (LTS). If the court grants that application, he may proceed without paying fees in advance.
The court stated that no answer from Rikard was required at that time. If Liggins complies, the case will be processed under the Clerk's Office procedures. If he does not comply within the allowed time, the action will be dismissed.
Appeal and effect
Judge Laura Taylor Swain certified under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(3) that an appeal from this order would not be taken in good faith and denied permission to proceed without prepayment of fees for an appeal. This order addressed filing requirements and did not decide the merits of Liggins's habeas petition.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.