Mungin-Bey v. New York State
- Laura Swain
- 1:25-cv-09223
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In Christopher Mungin-Bey v. New York State, Judge Swain ordered payment or a corrected fee-waiver application within 30 days, or dismissal would follow.
Christopher Mungin-Bey, who is representing himself, must either pay the $405 fee or submit a corrected IFP application within 30 days for the case to proceed. New York State is the named defendant, but the order does not address the merits of the claims.
What happened
Christopher Mungin-Bey sued New York State while representing himself without a lawyer. He asked to proceed without paying court fees, but his application did not explain enough about his finances.
The court noted that Mungin-Bey reported unemployment and public assistance without stating the assistance amount. He also reported no income, assets, or expenses but did not explain how he supports himself and his daughter or identify debts and financial obligations.
Judge Laura Taylor Swain ordered Mungin-Bey to pay $405 or submit an amended fee-waiver application within 30 days. No summons will issue yet, and the action will be dismissed if he does not comply; the court also denied fee-waiver status for an appeal.
The detailed version
- Mungin-Bey v. New York State · No. 1:25-cv-09223
- Laura Swain
- Nov. 25, 2025
Background
Christopher Mungin-Bey brought this action without a lawyer. To proceed with a civil case in the Southern District of New York, a plaintiff must either pay $405 in fees—a $350 filing fee and a $55 administrative fee—or request permission to proceed without prepaying fees by submitting a signed application for that status, commonly called an IFP application.
Mungin-Bey submitted an IFP application. He stated that he was unemployed and received public assistance but did not state the amount. He also stated that he had no income, cash, bank-account funds, real or personal property, or housing, transportation, or other monthly expenses. Although he said he financially supported his daughter, he did not explain how he supported himself and his daughter without income. He also did not provide the requested information about debts or other financial obligations.
Court’s ruling
The court concluded that the application did not establish that Mungin-Bey was unable to pay the filing fees. Within 30 days of the order, he must either pay $405 or submit an amended IFP application addressing the identified deficiencies, answering all applicable questions, explaining how he supports himself and his daughter, and providing facts showing that he cannot pay the fees.
The order states that the amended application should be labeled with docket number 25-CV-9437 (LTS), even though this action is docketed as 25-CV-9223 (LTS). If the court grants the amended IFP application, Mungin-Bey may proceed without prepaying the fees. No summons will issue at this time. If he complies, the case will be processed under the Clerk’s Office procedures; if he does not comply within the allowed time, the action will be dismissed.
Judge Laura Taylor Swain also certified that an appeal from the order would not be taken in good faith and denied IFP status for purposes of an appeal.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.