Horus Express Trust by its Trustee/Beneficiary Clarence-Dennis v. J.P. Morgan…
Horus Express Trust by its Trustee/Beneficiary Clarence-Dennis v. J.P. Morgan Chase, N.A., et al.
- Laura Swain
- 1:25-cv-08746
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In Horus Express Trust v. J.P. Morgan Chase, Judge Swain ordered Clarence Dennis to pay fees or submit a complete poverty application before proceeding.
Clarence Dennis and Horus Express Trust are affected. The court treated the complaint as asserting only Dennis’s own claims and required Dennis to pay the fees or submit a complete amended application before the case can proceed.
What happened
Horus Express Trust by its Trustee/Beneficiary Clarence-Dennis v. J.P. Morgan Chase, N.A., et al. concerns Clarence Dennis’s attempt to bring a federal civil action without a lawyer. Dennis submitted an application to proceed without paying fees upfront, but he answered only that he was unemployed and had no income.
The court explained that Horus Express Trust cannot represent itself without a licensed lawyer and that Dennis cannot represent the trust. Because Dennis signed the complaint, the court treated it as asserting claims by Dennis on his own behalf.
Judge Laura Taylor Swain ordered Dennis, within 30 days, either to pay $405 in filing and administrative fees or submit a complete amended application showing that he cannot pay. No summons will issue yet, and the action will be dismissed if he does not comply; the court also denied permission to appeal without paying fees.
The detailed version
- Horus Express Trust by its Trustee/Beneficiary Clarence-Dennis v. J.P. Morgan… · No. 1:25-cv-08746
- Laura Swain
- Oct. 24, 2025
Background
Clarence Dennis filed this action pro se, meaning without a lawyer. The complaint states that it was filed by Horus Express Trust “by its trustee/beneficiary” Clarence Dennis. Dennis submitted an application to proceed in forma pauperis, or without prepaying court fees.
The court explained that an artificial entity such as a trust cannot appear in federal court without a licensed attorney. It also stated that a nonlawyer may represent only his or her own interests, not those of another person or entity. The court therefore concluded that Horus Express Trust could not proceed without counsel and that Dennis could not assert claims on the trust’s behalf. Because Dennis signed the complaint, the court construed it as filed by Dennis on his own behalf.
Fee Application
To proceed with a civil action, a plaintiff must either pay $405 in fees—a $350 filing fee and a $55 administrative fee—or submit a signed application requesting permission to proceed without prepaying those fees. Dennis’s application stated that he was unemployed and had no sources of income, but he did not answer the other questions. The court therefore could not determine from the incomplete application that he was unable to pay.
Order
The court ordered Dennis, within 30 days of October 24, 2025, to either pay the $405 in fees or submit an amended application. The amended application must use docket number 25-CV-8746 and answer all applicable questions, providing facts showing that Dennis cannot pay the fees. If the court grants the amended application, Dennis may proceed without prepaying the fees.
No summons will issue at this time. If Dennis complies with the order, the case will be processed under the Clerk’s Office procedures. If he does not comply within the allowed time, the action will be dismissed. Judge Laura Taylor Swain also certified that any appeal from the order would not be taken in good faith and denied permission to appeal without prepaying fees.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.