Bey v. Trooper Stephen J. Naegeli
- Laura Swain
- 7:25-cv-06633
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In Kei Ahl Bey v. Trooper Stephen J. Naegeli, Judge Swain ordered payment of fees or a complete amended application to proceed without prepayment.
Kei Ahl Bey and the pending civil action; the order requires payment of fees or a complete amended application before the case proceeds.
What happened
In Kei Ahl Bey v. Trooper Stephen J. Naegeli, et al., Kei Ahl Bey filed a civil action without a lawyer but did not complete the application to proceed without paying fees upfront.
The court ordered Kei Ahl Bey, within 30 days, either to pay $405 or submit a complete, signed amended application answering questions about assets, expenses, and other financial information. No summons will issue at this time.
If Kei Ahl Bey complies, the case will be processed under the Clerk’s Office procedures; if not, the action will be dismissed without prejudice. Judge Laura Taylor Swain also ruled that any appeal would not be taken in good faith and denied fee-free status for an appeal.
The detailed version
- Bey v. Trooper Stephen J. Naegeli · No. 7:25-cv-06633
- Laura Swain
- Oct. 1, 2025
Background
Kei Ahl Bey brought this action pro se, meaning without a lawyer. To proceed in the district court, a plaintiff must either pay the required fees or submit a signed application to proceed in forma pauperis, meaning without prepaying those fees.
Court’s Order
Kei Ahl Bey submitted an application to proceed without prepaying fees, but the court found it incomplete. The application did not answer questions about assets, how expenses are paid, and other required matters.
The court gave Kei Ahl Bey 30 days from the date of the order to do one of two things: pay $405 in fees, consisting of a $350 filing fee and a $55 administrative fee, or submit a fully completed amended application labeled with docket number 25-CV-6633 (LTS). If the court grants the amended application, Kei Ahl Bey may proceed without prepaying the fees.
No summons will issue at this time. If Kei Ahl Bey complies with the order, the case will be processed under the Clerk’s Office procedures. If Kei Ahl Bey does not comply within the allowed time, the action will be dismissed without prejudice, meaning the order does not state that refiling is barred.
Appeal
The court certified under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(3) that any appeal from this order would not be taken in good faith. It therefore denied fee-free status for purposes of an appeal. Judge Laura Taylor Swain signed the order.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.