Scales v. American Web Coders
- Laura Swain
- 1:25-cv-06166
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 1
In William Scales v. American Web Coders, Judge Swain dismissed the amended complaint without prejudice because Scales did not pay the filing fee.
William Scales’s amended complaint was dismissed without prejudice because he did not pay the required $405 filing fee. The court also denied permission to appeal without paying the appeal fee.
What happened
In William Scales v. American Web Coders, the court had ordered William Scales and Taskem to pay the $405 filing fee within 30 days. Scales later filed an amended complaint removing Taskem as a plaintiff, but he did not pay the fee before the deadline expired.
The court dismissed Scales’s amended complaint without prejudice. It also denied permission to appeal without paying the appeal fee, finding that an appeal would not be taken in good faith. The court ordered that judgment enter.
Chief United States District Judge Laura Taylor Swain issued the order on October 7, 2025.
The detailed version
- Scales v. American Web Coders · No. 1:25-cv-06166
- Laura Swain
- Oct. 7, 2025
Background
The court had previously directed Taskem and William Scales to pay the $405 fee required to file a civil action. The order gave them 30 days and stated that failing to comply would result in dismissal. Scales then filed an amended complaint that removed Taskem as a plaintiff. The deadline passed, but Scales did not pay the required fee.
Ruling
The court dismissed the amended complaint without prejudice under 28 U.S.C. §§ 1914 and 1915. “Without prejudice” means the order did not state that the complaint could never be filed again. The opinion does not provide further conditions for refiling.
Appeal
The court certified under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(3) that any appeal would not be taken in good faith. It therefore denied permission to appeal without paying the appeal fee. Judgment was ordered to enter.
Judge
Chief United States District 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.