Hannah v. Rikers Island DOC

Background

Jordan Hannah filed a civil action without paying the required filing fees and without submitting a completed application to proceed without prepaying fees. The opinion states that Hannah is detained at the Otis Bantum Correctional Center on Rikers Island and is proceeding without a lawyer.

Fees and required filings

The court explained that a prisoner filing a civil action must either pay $405 in fees—$350 for the filing fee and $55 for the administrative fee—or request permission to proceed without prepaying fees. To make that request, Hannah must submit a signed application and a prisoner authorization. The authorization permits the facility holding him to deduct the $350 filing fee from his account in installments and requires certified account statements for the preceding six months. The $55 administrative fee does not apply to a person granted permission to proceed without prepaying fees.

Order

Within 30 days of September 8, 2025, Hannah must either pay the $405 or submit the required application and prisoner authorization, labeled with docket number 25-CV-7075 (LTS). No summons will issue at this time. If Hannah complies, the Clerk’s Office will process the case under its procedures. If he does not comply within the time allowed, the action will be dismissed.

The court certified under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(3) that any appeal from this order would not be taken in good faith and denied permission to appeal without prepaying fees. The order did not address the merits of Hannah’s claims against Rikers Island DOC or Bob Barker Company Inc. The court also cautioned that a later dismissal for frivolousness, maliciousness, or failure to state a claim could count as a strike under the prisoner litigation statute.