Cox v. Rikers Island DOC
- Laura Swain
- 1:25-cv-07067
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 1
In Hakeem Cox v. Rikers Island DOC, Judge Swain dismissed the complaint without prejudice because Cox did not file the required prisoner authorization.
The dismissal affects Hakeem Cox's civil complaint against Rikers Island DOC and Bob Barker Company Inc.; the opinion states that the complaint was dismissed without prejudice.
What happened
In Hakeem Cox v. Rikers Island DOC, Cox sued Rikers Island DOC and Bob Barker Company Inc. in the Southern District of New York.
The court had ordered Cox to submit a completed request to proceed without paying filing fees and a prisoner authorization, or pay the required $405 filing fees. Cox submitted the fee-waiver request but did not submit the prisoner authorization.
Judge Laura Taylor Swain dismissed the complaint without prejudice and directed the clerk to enter judgment. She also denied Cox permission to appeal without paying fees, certifying that an appeal would not be taken in good faith.
The detailed version
- Cox v. Rikers Island DOC · No. 1:25-cv-07067
- Laura Swain
- Nov. 10, 2025
Background
The court had previously ordered Hakeem Cox to do one of two things within 30 days: submit a completed application to proceed without paying the filing fee and a required prisoner authorization, or pay the $405 filing fee for a civil action. The order warned that failing to comply would result in dismissal.
Cox submitted the application to proceed without paying the filing fee, but he did not submit the prisoner authorization.
Ruling
The court dismissed the complaint without prejudice under 28 U.S.C. §§ 1914 and 1915. This means the dismissal did not bar refiling based on the terms stated in the opinion. The court directed the clerk to enter judgment.
Judge Laura Taylor Swain also certified that any appeal would not be taken in good faith and denied Cox permission to appeal without paying the required fees.
Read the full 1-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.