Elias v. City of New York
- Jesse Furman
- 1:19-cv-11411
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 1
In Elias v. City of New York, Judge Furman ordered pro se plaintiff Elias to choose personal counsel or proceed without a lawyer in mediation.
Rifka Renee Elias, who was representing herself and was required to choose between obtaining her own lawyer and proceeding without one for mediation.
What happened
Rifka Renee Elias is representing herself in her case against the City of New York and other defendants. An attorney had volunteered to represent her for mediation, but Elias declined that representation.
The court explained that people representing themselves are not entitled to choose among volunteer attorneys. It said Elias could either obtain a lawyer on her own or continue representing herself, including during mediation.
Judge Jesse M. Furman ordered Elias to tell the court by June 29, 2020, whether she had obtained her own lawyer or agreed to participate in mediation without one. The clerk was directed to mail her a copy of the order.
The detailed version
- Elias v. City of New York · No. 1:19-cv-11411
- Jesse Furman
- June 1, 2020
Background
Rifka Renee Elias was proceeding without a lawyer. The court learned that an attorney had volunteered to represent her for mediation, but Elias declined the attorney's free representation. The court stated that Elias might believe it had renewed efforts to find her a lawyer.
Court's Direction
The court explained that volunteer attorneys are scarce and that a person representing herself does not have the right to select a particular volunteer lawyer. The court stated that Elias's only options were to obtain a lawyer on her own or to continue without a lawyer in every part of the case, including mediation.
Ruling and Deadline
Judge Jesse M. Furman ordered Elias to inform the court by June 29, 2020, whether she had obtained a lawyer on her own or agreed to appear without a lawyer for mediation. The clerk was directed to mail Elias a copy of the order. The order did not decide the underlying claims against the defendants.
Read the full 1-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.