BlackCrown Inc. v. Charles Schwab & Co. Inc.
- Gregory Woods
- 1:19-cv-11578
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 1
In BlackCrown v. Charles Schwab, Judge Woods dismissed the action without prejudice because BlackCrown Inc., a corporation, lacked counsel.
BlackCrown Inc.'s case was dismissed without prejudice because the corporation was not represented by counsel; the order did not decide the underlying dispute with Charles Schwab & Co. Inc.
What happened
BlackCrown Inc. sued Charles Schwab & Co. Inc. in the Southern District of New York, but BlackCrown tried to proceed without a lawyer.
The court explained that corporations must appear in federal court through licensed counsel. Because BlackCrown was not represented, the court dismissed the action without prejudice.
Judge Woods directed the Clerk of Court to close the case. The order does not decide the underlying dispute between the parties.
The detailed version
- BlackCrown Inc. v. Charles Schwab & Co. Inc. · No. 1:19-cv-11578
- Gregory Woods
- Jan. 2, 2020
Background
BlackCrown Inc. brought this action against Charles Schwab & Co. Inc. The opinion states that BlackCrown attempted to proceed without a lawyer.
Court's analysis
The court held that a corporation must appear in federal court through licensed counsel. It relied on decisions stating that a corporation cannot be represented by a layperson. The court therefore determined that BlackCrown had to retain an attorney if it wanted to prosecute the case.
Ruling
The court dismissed the action without prejudice because BlackCrown was not represented by counsel. It directed the Clerk of Court to close the case. The order resolved the case on the representation requirement and did not address the underlying dispute's merits.
Read the full 1-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.