Mohammed Thani A.T. Al Thani v. Alan J. Hanke
Mohammed Thani A.T. Al Thani v. Alan J. Hanke et al.; Martin John Stevens v. Alan J. Hanke et al.
- John Cronan
- 1:20-cv-04765
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In Al Thani and Stevens v. Hanke, Judge Cronan set trial for January 12, 2026, and gave Roy-Haeger a deadline to seek volunteer counsel.
Defendant Amy Roy-Haeger, who was given a deadline to request that the court try to locate volunteer counsel, and all parties, who were directed to be ready for trial on January 12, 2026.
What happened
In Mohammed Thani A.T. Al Thani v. Alan J. Hanke et al. and Martin John Stevens v. Alan J. Hanke et al., the court addressed Defendant Amy Roy-Haeger’s possible request for help finding a volunteer lawyer. The trial is scheduled to begin on January 12, 2026.
The court said Roy-Haeger had to file a letter by September 17, 2025, if she wanted the court to try to locate volunteer counsel. The letter had to explain why she could not afford a lawyer. The court explained that meeting that financial threshold would not guarantee a lawyer in this civil case.
The court also stated that it could request, but not appoint, a volunteer lawyer and that the trial would proceed on January 12, 2026, whether or not it made such a request and whether or not a lawyer volunteered. Judge John P. Cronan ordered all parties to be ready for trial on that date.
The detailed version
- Mohammed Thani A.T. Al Thani v. Alan J. Hanke · No. 1:20-cv-04765
- John Cronan
- Sept. 11, 2025
Nature of the Order
This order concerns trial preparation and the possibility of volunteer legal representation for Defendant Amy Roy-Haeger. It does not decide the underlying claims in either case.
Counsel Request
The court directed that, if Roy-Haeger wanted the court to try to locate pro bono counsel—an attorney willing to volunteer—she had to file a letter by September 17, 2025. The letter had to explain why she was unable to afford counsel under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(1).
The court explained that satisfying this financial threshold would not require it to provide counsel. In civil cases, courts have discretion over whether to request volunteer representation. The court also explained that it could request that an attorney volunteer, but it could not formally appoint counsel in a civil case. Because courts do not have funds to pay lawyers in civil matters, requests for volunteer counsel should be made sparingly and with attention to the public benefit.
Trial Date and Disposition
The court stated that the trial would proceed on January 12, 2026, regardless of whether it requested volunteer counsel for Roy-Haeger and regardless of whether an attorney volunteered to represent her. It ordered all parties to be prepared for trial on that date. The order did not state that Roy-Haeger had filed a request for counsel or rule on any completed request.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.