Lewis v. Rikers Island DOC
- Laura Swain
- 1:25-cv-07070
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 1
In Moriyah Lewis v. Rikers Island DOC, Judge Swain dismissed the complaint without prejudice after Lewis neither paid fees nor submitted required forms.
Moriyah Lewis's complaint was dismissed without prejudice; the opinion does not state any merits ruling affecting the claims against Rikers Island DOC or Bob Barker Company, Inc.
What happened
In Moriyah Lewis v. Rikers Island DOC, the court had ordered Moriyah Lewis to submit forms requesting permission to proceed without paying filing fees and authorizing deductions from a prisoner account, or to pay the required filing fees.
Lewis did not submit the required forms or pay the fees within the deadline set by the court. The opinion does not address the underlying claims against Rikers Island DOC or Bob Barker Company, Inc.
Chief United States District Judge Laura Taylor Swain dismissed the complaint without prejudice and directed the clerk to enter judgment. Judge Swain also denied permission to proceed without paying fees on appeal after certifying that an appeal would not be taken in good faith.
The detailed version
- Lewis v. Rikers Island DOC · No. 1:25-cv-07070
- Laura Swain
- Nov. 13, 2025
Background
On September 9, 2025, the court ordered Moriyah Lewis to submit a completed application to proceed without paying the filing fee and a prisoner authorization, or to pay the $405 filing fees required for a civil action. The order warned that failure to comply would result in dismissal of the complaint.
Court’s action
Lewis did not submit the application and prisoner authorization and did not pay the filing fees. The court therefore dismissed the complaint without prejudice under 28 U.S.C. §§ 1914 and 1915. The opinion does not decide the underlying claims against Rikers Island DOC or Bob Barker Company, Inc.
The court 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 proceed without paying fees for an appeal. It directed the clerk to enter judgment. The order was signed by Chief United States District Judge Laura Taylor Swain.
Read the full 1-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.