Scales v. I Heart Radio
- Laura Swain
- 1:25-cv-07453
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 1
William Scales v. I Heart Radio: Judge Swain dismissed the complaint without prejudice because plaintiffs did not pay the required filing fees.
William Scales and Global Media Network had their complaint dismissed without prejudice for failing to pay the required $405 filing fee. Their ability to appeal without paying fees was also denied.
What happened
In William Scales; Global Media Network v. I Heart Radio, the court had ordered the plaintiffs to pay $405 in filing fees within 30 days. The order warned that failing to pay would lead to dismissal.
The plaintiffs did not pay the fees before the deadline expired. The court therefore dismissed the complaint without prejudice, meaning the dismissal did not bar a new filing.
Judge Laura Taylor Swain also ruled that any appeal would not be taken in good faith and denied the plaintiffs permission to appeal without paying fees. The court ordered that judgment be entered.
The detailed version
- Scales v. I Heart Radio · No. 1:25-cv-07453
- Laura Swain
- Nov. 10, 2025
Background
On September 19, 2025, the court ordered plaintiffs William Scales and Global Media Network to pay the $405 filing fee required to bring a civil action. The order stated that the complaint would be dismissed if they did not comply within 30 days. The opinion states that the plaintiffs did not pay the fees and that the deadline expired.
Ruling
The court dismissed the complaint without prejudice under 28 U.S.C. §§ 1914 and 1915. The court also certified under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(3) that any appeal from the order would not be taken in good faith and denied permission to appeal without paying the required fees. Judgment was ordered to enter.
Effect
The opinion does not decide the underlying claims against I Heart Radio. The dismissal was based on the plaintiffs’ failure to pay the filing fees, and it was expressly without prejudice.
Read the full 1-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.