Miranda v. Ivey
- Laura Swain
- 1:25-cv-08369
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 3
In Willis Miranda v. Ivey, Judge Swain ordered the pro se plaintiff to sign the complaint within 30 days or face dismissal without prejudice.
Willis Miranda, who must sign and return the required signature page within 30 days to avoid dismissal without prejudice.
What happened
In Willis Miranda v. Ivey et al., Willis Miranda filed a complaint without signing it. The opinion states that Miranda is representing himself without a lawyer.
The court ordered Miranda to sign and submit the provided signature page within 30 days of the order. No summons or answer will be issued while the court awaits compliance.
Judge Swain stated that the case will be processed under the Clerk’s Office procedures if Miranda complies, but will be dismissed without prejudice if he does not. She also denied the ability to proceed without paying fees for any appeal from this order.
The detailed version
- Miranda v. Ivey · No. 1:25-cv-08369
- Laura Swain
- Oct. 22, 2025
Background
Willis Miranda brought this action without a lawyer. The complaint submitted to the court was unsigned.
Court’s analysis
Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 11(a) requires an unrepresented party to personally sign a complaint and other court filings. The court cited that rule and a United States Supreme Court decision interpreting it to require a handwritten name or a mark placed by the party.
Order
The court directed Miranda to sign and submit the attached signature page within 30 days of the order’s date. No summons or answer shall issue at this time. If Miranda complies, the case shall be processed according to the Clerk’s Office procedures. If Miranda does not comply within the allowed period, the action will be dismissed without prejudice.
The court also certified that an appeal from this order would not be taken in good faith and denied permission to proceed without prepaying fees for purposes of an appeal. The attached form warns that the signer must certify compliance with Rule 11 and provide updated contact information to the Clerk’s Office.
Read the full 3-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.