Madera v. Rikers Island DOC
- Laura Swain
- 1:25-cv-07076
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In Madera v. Rikers Island DOC, Judge Swain ordered Eric Madera to pay fees or submit required forms within 30 days.
Eric Madera, who must either pay the required fees or submit the specified application and authorization within 30 days to continue the action. The defendants are not required to respond at this stage because no summons has issued.
What happened
In Eric Madera v. Rikers Island DOC; Bob Barker Authorization Company Inc., Eric Madera filed a civil lawsuit without paying the required fees or submitting a completed application to proceed without paying them in advance. The opinion says he is detained at the Otis Bantum Correctional Center and is representing himself.
The court gave Madera 30 days from September 8, 2025, to either pay $405 in fees or submit the required application and authorization forms. The authorization would allow filing-fee payments to be deducted from his account in installments. No summons will issue yet.
Judge Laura Taylor Swain ordered these requirements and said the case would be processed if Madera complied. If he did not comply within the allowed time, the action would be dismissed. She also denied payment-free status for any appeal from this order.
The detailed version
- Madera v. Rikers Island DOC · No. 1:25-cv-07076
- Laura Swain
- Sept. 8, 2025
Background
Eric Madera filed this civil action without paying the filing fees and without submitting a completed application to proceed without prepaying fees or a prisoner authorization. The opinion states that Madera is detained at the Otis Bantum Correctional Center on Rikers Island and is representing himself.
Fee and application requirements
The court explained that a prisoner filing a civil action must either pay $405—the $350 filing fee plus a $55 administrative fee—or request permission to proceed without prepaying fees. To make that request, Madera had to submit a signed application and a prisoner authorization. If permission is granted, the $350 filing fee is collected in installments from the prisoner's account. The authorization also directs the correctional facility to make those deductions and provide certified account statements for the previous six months. The $55 administrative fee does not apply to a person granted this status.
Order
The court ordered Madera to pay the $405 in fees or submit the application and prisoner authorization within 30 days of the order. The documents should identify docket number 25-CV-7076 (LTS). No summons will issue at this time. If Madera complies, the Clerk's Office will process the case under its procedures; if he does not comply within the allowed period, the action will be dismissed. Judge Laura Taylor Swain also certified that an appeal from this order would not be taken in good faith and denied payment-free status for purposes of an appeal. The order does not decide the merits of Madera's claims.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.