Vaquero v. The People of the State of New York
- Laura Swain
- 1:25-cv-08713
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In Ramon Vaquero v. People, Judge Swain ordered Ramon Vaquero to pay fees or submit applications to proceed without prepayment.
Ramon Vaquero, who must either pay the required fees or submit the required forms for the action to proceed.
What happened
Ramon Vaquero v. The People of the State of New York concerns a civil action filed by Vaquero, who is incarcerated and representing himself. He submitted his complaint without paying the required fees or completing the required forms.
The court gave Vaquero 30 days from the order’s date to either pay $405 or submit a signed application to proceed without prepaying fees and a prisoner authorization. The authorization would allow fee payments to be deducted from his prison account in installments and would provide the court with account statements.
The order does not decide the case’s underlying claims. Judge Swain stated that no answer was required yet, and that the case would proceed if Vaquero complied; otherwise, the action will be dismissed. Judge Swain also denied fee-free status for any appeal from this order.
The detailed version
- Vaquero v. The People of the State of New York · No. 1:25-cv-08713
- Laura Swain
- Oct. 24, 2025
Background
Ramon Vaquero, who is incarcerated at Eastern Correctional Facility and is representing himself, filed a civil action without paying the required fees and without submitting a completed application to proceed without prepaying fees or a prisoner authorization.
Fees and required filings
The court explained that a prisoner must either pay $405 in fees—a $350 filing fee and a $55 administrative fee—or request permission to proceed without prepaying fees. To make that request, the prisoner must submit a signed application and a prisoner authorization. If permission is granted, the Prison Litigation Reform Act requires the $350 filing fee to be collected in installments from the prisoner’s account. The authorization also directs the correctional facility to make those deductions and send the court certified copies of the prisoner’s account statements for the past six months. The $55 administrative fee does not apply to a person granted permission to proceed without prepaying fees.
Order
Within 30 days after the date of the order, Vaquero must either pay the $405 or submit the required application and prisoner authorization, labeled with docket number 25-CV-8713. No answer is required at this stage. If Vaquero complies, the Clerk’s Office will process the case under its procedures; if he does not comply within the allowed time, the action will be dismissed.
The court certified under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(3) 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 order does not address the merits of Vaquero’s claims. 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.