Coleman v. The State of Officer John Doe

Background

In an earlier order dated March 19, 2020, the court granted David Coleman permission to proceed without prepaying filing fees but held that his complaint failed to state a claim on which relief could be granted. The court gave him 60 days to file an amended complaint.

On May 14, 2020, the court received Coleman’s letter requesting additional time. Coleman stated that he did not receive the earlier order until March 30, 2020. He also said that he had requested his arrest records and the names of the officers involved in his arrest under New York’s Freedom of Information Law, but had not yet received them.

Court’s Ruling

The court granted Coleman’s request for a 30-day extension to file an amended complaint. If he chose to amend, the court ordered him to do so within 30 days of the May 14 order.

The court explained that Coleman could identify unknown defendants as “John Doe #1” or “Jane Doe #1” in the amended complaint’s caption. He would need to explain in the complaint what each unidentified defendant did or failed to do that allegedly violated his rights. The court stated that, if the amended allegations stated a claim and provided enough information, it might direct the New York City Law Department to identify the defendants’ true names.

The order also stated that using John Doe names would not pause the three-year limitations period governing the action. Coleman remained responsible for finding the defendants’ identities and amending the complaint to include their identities before that period expired.

Disposition

The court granted the request for a 30-day extension. This order addressed the filing deadline and amendment process; it did not decide whether Coleman’s claims ultimately had legal merit.