Lewis v. United States Marshals Service
- Laura Swain
- 1:25-cv-06491
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 3
In Brandon Lewis v. United States Marshals Service (Officers), et al., Chief Judge Swain ordered a pro se plaintiff to update his address within 30 days or face dismissal.
Brandon Lewis, a self-represented plaintiff, must provide the court with an updated address and specified identifying information within 30 days or the action may be dismissed without prejudice. The order also denies permission to appeal without paying filing fees.
What happened
In Brandon Lewis v. United States Marshals Service (Officers), et al., Brandon Lewis filed an action while representing himself. The court had mailed him an order requiring self-represented litigants to report address changes, but records did not show him at the address he provided. The records listed another person with the same name at a different facility, and the court could not confirm whether that person was Lewis.
The court ordered Lewis to complete and return a change-of-address form within 30 days, including his New York State identification number and correctional-facility identification number. The court warned that failure to comply would result in dismissal of the action without prejudice for failure to follow the court’s order. The court also denied permission to appeal without paying filing fees, finding that any appeal would not be taken in good faith.
Chief Judge Laura Taylor Swain issued the order on September 9, 2025. The order itself did not dismiss the action; it directed Lewis to update his address and warned of a possible dismissal if he did not do so.
The detailed version
- Lewis v. United States Marshals Service · No. 1:25-cv-06491
- Laura Swain
- Sept. 9, 2025
Background
Brandon Lewis, who is proceeding without a lawyer, filed this action on August 1, 2025. When the case was opened, the Clerk’s Office docketed the court’s March 18, 2024 Standing Order requiring self-represented litigants to notify the court of changes to their mailing address or electronic contact information.
The court mailed the Standing Order to the address Lewis had provided at the Eric M. Taylor Center on Rikers Island. Lewis had not included his correctional-facility book-and-case number or his New York State identification number. The court reviewed public records maintained by the New York City Department of Correction and found no person named Brandon Lewis housed at the Eric M. Taylor Center. The records did list a person with the same name at the Otis Bantum Correctional Center, but the court stated that it was unclear whether that person was the plaintiff.
Order
The court directed Lewis to complete the attached Notice of Change of Address within 30 days of the order’s date. The notice must provide his updated address and identifying information, including his New York State identification number and book-and-case number. The Clerk of Court was directed to mail the order to the Otis Bantum Correctional Center using the identifying numbers listed in the order.
The court warned that, if Lewis did not update the court in writing, it would dismiss the action under Rule 41(b) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure for failure to comply with the court’s Standing Order. The court stated that any such dismissal would be without prejudice, meaning Lewis could file a new civil action. The order did not itself dismiss the action.
Appeal-Fee Ruling
The court certified under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(3) that any appeal from the order would not be taken in good faith. It therefore denied permission to appeal without paying the required filing fees for purposes of an appeal.
Disposition
The court directed Lewis to submit the change-of-address notice within 30 days and warned of dismissal without prejudice if he failed to comply. Chief United States District Judge Laura Taylor Swain signed the order.
Read the full 3-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.