Ramani v. WMG Corp.
- Laura Swain
- 1:25-cv-07053
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 1
In Valmiki Ramani v. Warner Music Group Corp., Judge Swain dismissed the action without prejudice because Ramani did not obtain required filing permission.
Valmiki Ramani's action against Warner Music Group Corp.; the dismissal was without prejudice.
What happened
Valmiki Ramani v. Warner Music Group Corp. was a case filed by Ramani without a lawyer, seeking permission to proceed without paying the filing fee.
A prior court order barred Ramani from filing new actions without paying the filing fee unless Ramani first obtained permission from the court. Ramani filed this case, requested that fee waiver, and did not request the required permission.
The court dismissed the action without prejudice for violating the earlier order. Judge Laura Taylor Swain also denied fee-waiver status for an appeal and certified that an appeal would not be taken in good faith.
The detailed version
- Ramani v. WMG Corp. · No. 1:25-cv-07053
- Laura Swain
- Aug. 28, 2025
Background
Valmiki Ramani filed this new case without a lawyer and requested permission to proceed without paying the filing fee, a status known as in forma pauperis. The opinion does not describe the underlying claims against Warner Music Group Corp.
Earlier Filing Restriction
The court stated that an order dated November 21, 2024, barred Ramani from filing any new action without paying the filing fee unless Ramani first obtained leave, meaning permission, from the court. The opinion cited that earlier related proceeding and noted that the appeal from it was dismissed. The restriction does not bar Ramani from filing an action after prepaying the filing fees.
Ruling
Because Ramani filed this action, requested fee-waiver status, and did not seek the required permission, the court dismissed the action without prejudice for failure to comply with the November 21, 2024 order. The court also certified under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(3) that any appeal from this order would not be taken in good faith and therefore denied fee-waiver status for purposes of an appeal. Chief United States District Judge Laura Taylor Swain signed the order.
Read the full 1-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.