Coleman v. Doe
- Laura Swain
- 1:25-cv-04514
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 1
In Nail Coleman v. Doe, Judge Swain dismissed the complaint without prejudice because Coleman neither paid filing fees nor submitted required forms.
Nail Coleman’s complaint was dismissed without prejudice because Coleman did not submit the required fee-waiver materials or pay the filing fee. The court also denied fee-free status for any appeal from the order.
What happened
Nail Coleman v. Doe involved an order requiring Coleman to submit an application to proceed without paying filing fees and a prisoner authorization, or to pay the $405 filing fee. The court warned that failing to comply would lead to dismissal.
Coleman did not submit the required documents or pay the filing fee. The court therefore dismissed the complaint without prejudice, meaning the opinion did not bar refiling.
Chief Judge Laura Taylor Swain also ruled that an appeal would not be taken in good faith and denied fee-free status for an appeal. She directed the Clerk of Court to enter judgment.
The detailed version
- Coleman v. Doe · No. 1:25-cv-04514
- Laura Swain
- Oct. 6, 2025
Background
By an earlier order dated June 10, 2025, the court directed Nail Coleman to do one of two things within 30 days: submit a completed application to proceed without paying filing fees, along with a required prisoner authorization, or pay the $405 filing fee for a civil action. The earlier order stated that failure to comply would result in dismissal.
Court’s ruling
The court found that Coleman had not submitted the application and prisoner authorization and had not paid the filing fee. It dismissed the complaint without prejudice under 28 U.S.C. §§ 1914 and 1915. The opinion does not address the underlying claims against Doe.
The court also 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 Coleman permission to proceed without paying fees for an appeal and directed the Clerk of Court to enter judgment. Chief Judge Laura Taylor Swain signed the order.
Read the full 1-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.