Haley v. Monroe County
- Laura Swain
- 1:25-cv-09534
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 3
In Haley v. Monroe County, Judge Swain transferred the pro se lawsuit to the Western District because the events occurred there.
William C. Haley, Jr.’s case was moved from the Southern District of New York to the Western District of New York. The transferee court will decide whether he may proceed without prepaying fees and how to address his request for a temporary restraining order.
What happened
William C. Haley, Jr. sued Monroe County and other defendants over alleged rights violations during Family Court proceedings in Monroe County, New York. He brought the case without a lawyer under a federal civil-rights law.
The court found that venue was improper in the Southern District of New York because the alleged events occurred in Monroe County and the complaint did not establish the individual defendants’ residences. It transferred the case to the Western District of New York, where Monroe County is located.
Judge Laura Taylor Swain ordered the transfer, closed the Southern District case, and left decisions about fee prepayment and Haley’s request for a temporary restraining order to the receiving court. She also denied fee-free status for any appeal from the transfer order.
The detailed version
- Haley v. Monroe County · No. 1:25-cv-09534
- Laura Swain
- Nov. 18, 2025
Background
William C. Haley, Jr., who the opinion says resides in Rochester, New York, filed this case without a lawyer under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. He alleged that the defendants violated his rights during Family Court proceedings held in Monroe County, New York.
The defendants named in the complaint were Monroe County; Monroe County Family Court; Monroe County Sheriff’s Office; Monroe County Public Defender’s Office; Monroe County Family Court Judge Kristine Demo-Vasquez; Morna Affronti, identified as the attorney for Haley’s minor child; Amanda Oren, identified as a Family Court Attorney Referee; and John and Jane Doe Defendants 1–20, identified as Monroe County employees.
Venue Analysis
The court applied the federal venue rules. It stated that Haley did not plead the individual defendants’ residences and alleged that the events giving rise to his claims occurred in Monroe County. Based on the complaint’s allegations and the defendants’ employment by Monroe County, the court concluded that venue was not proper in the Southern District of New York under 28 U.S.C. § 1391(b)(1) or § 1391(b)(2).
Under 28 U.S.C. § 1406(a), when a case is filed in the wrong venue, a court may dismiss it or, when the interests of justice support doing so, transfer it to a district where it could have been brought. The court determined that Monroe County is in the Western District of New York and that venue lies there because the claims arose there.
Ruling and Effect
The court transferred the action to the United States District Court for the Western District of New York under § 1406(a). The Clerk was directed to make the transfer, and the Southern District case was closed. The court also stated that no summons would issue from the Southern District.
The receiving court was left to decide whether Haley may proceed without prepaying fees and how to address his request for a temporary restraining order. The court waived the local seven-day delay before transfer. It certified that an appeal from the order would not be taken in good faith and denied fee-free status for purposes of an appeal.
The order resolved the venue issue and transferred the case; it did not decide the underlying allegations described in the complaint.
Read the full 3-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.