Lewis v. Rikers Island DOC
- Laura Swain
- 1:25-cv-07070
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 1
In Lewis v. Rikers Island DOC, Judge Swain dismissed the action and denied appeal-related fee-waiver status.
Moriyah Lewis, whose action was dismissed and whose request to proceed without paying appeal fees was denied; Rikers Island DOC and Bob Barker Company, Inc., the defendants.
What happened
Moriyah Lewis sued Rikers Island DOC and Bob Barker Company, Inc. The judgment does not explain the underlying claims or the reasons given in the court’s November 13, 2025, order.
The court dismissed the action. It also certified that any appeal would not be taken in good faith and denied Lewis permission to proceed without paying the appeal fees.
Judge Laura Taylor Swain entered the civil judgment on November 19, 2025, in the Southern District of New York. The available judgment does not state the dismissal’s specific basis.
The detailed version
- Lewis v. Rikers Island DOC · No. 1:25-cv-07070
- Laura Swain
- Nov. 19, 2025
What the court decided
The court dismissed the action “for the reasons stated” in its November 13, 2025, order. That earlier order is not included in the provided text, so the specific basis for dismissal cannot be determined here.
Appeal-related ruling
The court certified under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(3) that an appeal from the judgment would not be taken in good faith. It therefore denied permission to appeal without paying the required fees. The judgment cites a Supreme Court decision explaining that good faith requires seeking review of a nonfrivolous issue.
Disposition
The action was dismissed. The court also denied appeal-related fee-waiver status. The judgment was signed by Chief United States District Judge Laura Taylor Swain and dated November 19, 2025.
Read the full 1-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.