Chikhladze v. Tsulukiani
- Laura Swain
- 1:25-cv-07144
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In Simon Chikhladze v. Tea Tsulukiani, Judge Swain ordered Chikhladze to pay fees or complete his fee-waiver application within 30 days.
Simon Chikhladze is required to pay the fees or submit a complete amended application within 30 days; otherwise, his action will be dismissed without prejudice. The defendants are not affected by a merits ruling because the court did not reach the underlying claims.
What happened
Simon Chikhladze brought this case without a lawyer and submitted an application asking to proceed without paying court fees upfront. The application was incomplete because he had not answered many questions.
The court ordered Chikhladze, within 30 days, either to pay $405 in fees or fully complete and submit an amended application. The court said no summons would issue at that time.
If Chikhladze does not comply, the action will be dismissed without prejudice. Judge Laura Taylor Swain also denied permission to proceed without paying fees for any appeal from this order, finding that such an appeal would not be taken in good faith.
The detailed version
- Chikhladze v. Tsulukiani · No. 1:25-cv-07144
- Laura Swain
- Sept. 2, 2025
Background
Simon Chikhladze filed this action without a lawyer. To start a civil case in the Southern District of New York, a plaintiff must either pay $405 in fees—$350 for filing and $55 for administration—or request permission to proceed without paying the fees upfront by submitting a signed application. Chikhladze submitted such an application, but the court found it incomplete because he had not answered many questions.
Order
The court ordered Chikhladze, within 30 days of the order, to do one of two things: pay the $405 in fees or fully complete and submit the attached amended application. The amended application should include docket number 25-CV-7144 (LTS). No summons would issue at that time. If Chikhladze complies, the Clerk’s Office will process the case under its procedures. If he does not comply within the allowed time, the action will be dismissed without prejudice.
Appeal-Related Ruling
Judge Laura Taylor Swain certified under federal law that any appeal from this order would not be taken in good faith. The court therefore denied permission to proceed without paying fees for an appeal from this order. The opinion does not decide the merits of Chikhladze’s underlying claims.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.