Jaime v. Sergeant A. Atkins
- Laura Swain
- 7:25-cv-04878
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 4
In Luis Jaime v. Sergeant A. Atkins et al., Judge Román ordered the U.S. Marshals Service to serve five newly identified correctional officers.
Luis Jaime and the five newly identified defendants—Jacqueline Webber, Kenneth Decker Jr., Alcibiades Lora-Valerio, Matthew Hoffman, and Hakeem Mcpherson—are directly affected; the Clerk of Court and U.S. Marshals Service must carry out the service instructions.
What happened
Luis Jaime, who is incarcerated at Green Haven Correctional Facility and representing himself, sued Sergeant A. Atkins and unidentified correctional officers over alleged federal constitutional violations. The court treated his claims as claims under a federal civil-rights law, 42 U.S.C. § 1983. After state officials identified the previously unnamed officers, Jaime filed an amended complaint naming them.
Because Jaime was allowed to proceed without paying court fees in advance, the court said he could rely on the court and the U.S. Marshals Service to serve the defendants. The Clerk of Court was directed to prepare service forms and summonses using the defendants’ updated names and addresses and send the required papers to the Marshals Service.
In this supplemental service order, Judge Nelson S. Román directed the Clerk to issue summonses for Jacqueline Webber, Kenneth Decker Jr., Alcibiades Lora-Valerio, Matthew Hoffman, and Hakeem Mcpherson, and to provide the Marshals Service with Jaime’s amended complaint and other necessary documents. The order states that service should occur within 90 days after the summonses are issued, and that Jaime should request more time if service is not completed by then.
The detailed version
- Jaime v. Sergeant A. Atkins · No. 7:25-cv-04878
- Laura Swain
- July 15, 2026
Background
Luis Jaime, who is incarcerated at Green Haven Correctional Facility, brought this action without a lawyer and seeks damages for alleged federal constitutional violations. The court construed the complaint as asserting claims under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, a federal law that allows claims for constitutional violations carried out under state authority. The original complaint named Green Haven Sergeant A. Atkins and six unidentified correctional officers.
The court previously directed the New York State Attorney General’s Office to identify the unnamed defendants and provide their badge numbers and service addresses. After receiving that information, the court directed Jaime to file an amended complaint naming the identified individuals. Jaime filed the amended complaint on June 18, 2026. The five defendants listed in the conclusion of this order are Jacqueline Webber, Kenneth Decker Jr., Alcibiades Lora-Valerio, Matthew Hoffman, and Hakeem Mcpherson.
Court’s Action
The court had granted Jaime permission to proceed without paying filing fees in advance. The order explains that, in this situation, Jaime may rely on the court and the U.S. Marshals Service to carry out service of process, meaning formal delivery of the lawsuit papers to the defendants.
The court instructed the Clerk of Court to issue summonses for the five listed defendants, complete a U.S. Marshals Service process receipt and return form for each defendant using the updated addresses, and deliver the summonses, amended complaint, and other necessary paperwork to the Marshals Service. The order states that if the amended complaint is not served within 90 days after summonses are issued, Jaime should request an extension of time. It also directs Jaime to notify the court in writing of any address change and states that the action may be dismissed if he fails to do so.
Disposition
Judge Nelson S. Román entered a supplemental order directing the Clerk of Court to arrange service of the amended complaint through the U.S. Marshals Service. The order does not decide the merits of Jaime’s constitutional claims.
Read the full 4-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.