Whitehead v. Universal Pictures
- Laura Swain
- 1:25-cv-05433
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 1
In David Louis Whitehead v. Universal Pictures, Judge Swain dismissed the action and denied permission to appeal without prepaying fees.
David Louis Whitehead’s action against Universal Pictures and the other named defendants was dismissed. The court also denied permission to appeal without prepaying filing fees.
What happened
David Louis Whitehead sued Universal Pictures and other defendants in the Southern District of New York. The judgment does not provide the facts or claims in the case.
The court dismissed the action for the reasons stated in an August 26, 2025, order, which is not included in the provided opinion. The court also denied permission to appeal without prepaying filing fees, finding that an appeal would not be taken in good faith.
Chief United States District Judge Laura Taylor Swain entered the judgment on August 28, 2025.
The detailed version
- Whitehead v. Universal Pictures · No. 1:25-cv-05433
- Laura Swain
- Aug. 28, 2025
Ruling
The court entered a civil judgment dismissing the action. The judgment states that the dismissal was based on the reasons given in the court’s August 26, 2025, order. That order is not included in the provided opinion, so the basis for dismissal cannot be determined from this text alone.
Appeal Filing-Fee Ruling
The court certified under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(3) that any appeal from the judgment would not be taken in good faith. It therefore denied the plaintiff permission to appeal without prepaying the appellate filing fees. The judgment cites a Supreme Court decision explaining that good faith exists when an appellant seeks review of a nonfrivolous issue.
Disposition
The action was dismissed. The request to proceed without prepaying fees for an appeal was denied. The judgment was signed by Chief United States District Judge Laura Taylor Swain on August 28, 2025.
Read the full 1-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.