Williams v. Doe
- Laura Swain
- 1:25-cv-05091
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 1
In Alshon Williams v. Doe, Judge Swain dismissed the complaint without prejudice because Williams neither paid filing fees nor submitted required forms.
Alshon Williams’s complaint was dismissed without prejudice after he did not submit the required filing forms or pay the filing fees. The order also denied permission to proceed without paying fees for an appeal.
What happened
In Alshon Williams v. Doe, the court had ordered Williams to submit forms requesting permission to proceed without paying the filing fee and prisoner authorization, or to pay the required $405 filing fees.
The order warned that failing to comply within 30 days would result in dismissal. Williams did not submit the forms or pay the fees.
Judge Laura Taylor Swain dismissed the complaint without prejudice, directed the Clerk to enter judgment, and denied permission to proceed without paying fees on appeal because any appeal would not be taken in good faith.
The detailed version
- Williams v. Doe · No. 1:25-cv-05091
- Laura Swain
- Sept. 2, 2025
Background
By an order dated June 25, 2025, the Court directed Alshon Williams to submit a completed application to proceed without paying the filing fee and a prisoner authorization, or to pay the $405 required to file a civil action. The order stated that failing to comply would result in dismissal of the complaint.
Court’s Ruling
Williams did not submit the application and authorization and did not pay the filing fees. The Court therefore dismissed the complaint without prejudice. This means the dismissal did not bar refiling, although the opinion does not otherwise explain the requirements for doing so.
The Court certified that any appeal would not be taken in good faith and denied permission to proceed without paying fees for purposes of an appeal. The Court also directed the Clerk of Court to enter judgment. The order did not address the merits of the complaint.
Read the full 1-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.