WAFER v. National Basketball Association
- Subramanian
- 1:25-cv-08910
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 4
In Wafer v. National Basketball Association, Judge Subramanian ordered Marshals service after Wafer was allowed to proceed without paying fees.
Vakeaton Quamar Wafer and the National Basketball Association; the order directs the Clerk of Court and the U.S. Marshals Service to arrange service on the NBA.
What happened
In Vakeaton Quamar Wafer v. National Basketball Association, Wafer, representing himself, claims that the National Basketball Association discriminated against him because of a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act. A federal court in Florida transferred the case to the Southern District of New York after deciding that venue was proper there.
Because Wafer had been allowed to proceed without paying court fees in advance, the court directed the Clerk of Court to issue a summons, prepare the required service form, and send the necessary papers to the U.S. Marshals Service. The Marshals Service will serve the NBA. The court said Wafer should request more time if service is not completed within 90 days after the summons is issued.
Judge Arun Subramanian also directed the Clerk to mail Wafer an information package and warned that Wafer must notify the court in writing if his address changes. The order did not decide whether the NBA violated the disability-discrimination law.
The detailed version
- WAFER v. National Basketball Association · No. 1:25-cv-08910
- Subramanian
- Nov. 13, 2025
Background
Vakeaton Quamar Wafer, proceeding without a lawyer, brings an action under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, alleging that the National Basketball Association discriminated against him based on his disability. Wafer initially filed the action in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida. That court transferred the action to the Southern District of New York after determining that venue was proper there.
The Northern District of Florida had granted Wafer permission to proceed without prepaying court fees. In such cases, the court and the U.S. Marshals Service handle service of process—the formal delivery of the lawsuit and summons to the defendant.
Order
The court directed the Clerk of Court to complete a U.S. Marshals Service Process Receipt and Return form for the NBA, issue a summons, and deliver the documents needed for the Marshals Service to serve the NBA. The order identifies the NBA's service address as 645 5th Avenue, New York, New York 10022.
The court explained that service should be completed within 90 days after the summons is issued. If service is not completed within that period, Wafer should request an extension of time. The court also directed the Clerk to mail Wafer an information package and stated that Wafer must notify the court in writing of any address change. The court may dismiss the action if he does not provide that notice.
Result and significance
This is an order arranging service of the complaint; it does not decide the merits of Wafer's disability-discrimination allegations. The court instructed the Clerk to issue the summons, complete the service paperwork, and send the documents to the Marshals Service. Judge Arun Subramanian signed the order on November 13, 2025.
Read the full 4-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.