Alexander v. Greendot Corp.
- Laura Swain
- 1:26-cv-05984
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In Liam Alexander v. Greendot Corp., Chief Judge Swain dismissed the action without prejudice because Finnegan filed it under Alexander’s name without required permission.
The action filed under the name Liam Alexander, Sean Matthew Finnegan as the person the court identified as the filer, and Greendot Corp.; the court also denied fee-free appeal status.
What happened
In Liam Alexander v. Greendot Corp., the court said Sean Matthew Finnegan filed the case under the name Liam Alexander. A 2022 court order had barred Finnegan from filing future civil cases without first getting permission when seeking to proceed without paying filing fees.
Finnegan sought to proceed without paying filing fees in this case but did not ask for the permission required by that earlier order. The court therefore dismissed the action without prejudice for failing to follow the order.
Chief United States District Judge Laura Taylor Swain also denied permission to appeal without paying filing fees, finding that an appeal would not be taken in good faith, and directed the clerk to enter a civil judgment.
The detailed version
- Alexander v. Greendot Corp. · No. 1:26-cv-05984
- Laura Swain
- July 17, 2026
Background
The court stated that Sean Matthew Finnegan had previously been barred from filing future civil actions in the Southern District of New York without first obtaining permission when seeking to proceed without paying filing fees. The court said Finnegan had filed multiple later actions under the name “Liam Alexander” and that the court had identified Finnegan as the actual filer in those cases.
Ruling
Finnegan filed this action under the name “Liam Alexander” and sought to proceed without paying filing fees. He did not seek the permission required by the earlier filing injunction. The court therefore dismissed this action without prejudice because Finnegan failed to comply with the earlier order.
Appeal and Judgment
Under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(3), the court certified that any appeal would not be taken in good faith and denied permission to proceed without paying filing fees for an appeal. The court directed the clerk to enter a civil judgment.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.