Jones v. Atlantic Records
- Andrew Carter
- 1:22-cv-00893
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 5
In Jones v. Atlantic Records, Judge Carter ordered Marshals service for some defendants, deferred service on three others, and denied counsel without prejudice.
Denise Jones, the defendants for whom the court ordered Marshals service, and the three defendants for whom service was deferred because addresses were not provided.
What happened
In Jones v. Atlantic Records, Denise Jones, representing herself, alleges copyright infringement. The court had already allowed Jones to proceed without paying filing fees.
The court ordered the Clerk and U.S. Marshals Service to issue and serve papers on Atlantic Records, its listed chief executive Craig Kaleman, Warner Music Group, its listed chief executive Stephen Cooper, 1501 Certified Entertainment, its listed chief executive Carl Crawford, 300 Entertainment, and its listed chief executive Kevin Liles. The court declined at this time to direct service on Megan J. Pete, Belcalis Marlenis Almanzar, and Jorden Thorpe because Jones had not provided service addresses.
Judge Andrew L. Carter, Jr. denied Jones’s request for free legal counsel without prejudice to renewing it later. The court also denied fee-free status for any appeal from this order, finding that an appeal would not be taken in good faith.
The detailed version
- Jones v. Atlantic Records · No. 1:22-cv-00893
- Andrew Carter
- Feb. 18, 2022
Background
Denise Jones filed this action without a lawyer, alleging copyright infringement. The court had previously granted Jones permission to proceed without paying filing fees. This order addressed service of the complaint and Jones’s request for appointed volunteer counsel; it did not decide whether copyright infringement occurred.
Service on Certain Defendants
Because Jones was allowed to proceed without paying filing fees, the court stated that Jones could rely on the court and the U.S. Marshals Service to serve the complaint and summonses. The court extended the service deadline to 90 days after summonses are issued.
The Clerk was instructed to issue summonses, complete the required service forms with the available addresses, and deliver the necessary paperwork to the Marshals Service for service on Atlantic Records; Craig Kaleman, identified in the caption as Atlantic Records’ CEO; Warner Music Group; Stephen Cooper, identified as Warner Music Group’s CEO; 1501 Certified Entertainment; Carl Crawford, identified as 1501 Certified Entertainment’s CEO; 300 Entertainment; and Kevin Liles, identified as 300 Entertainment’s CEO.
Service on Three Other Defendants
The court declined, at that time, to direct service on Megan J. Pete, Belcalis Marlenis Almanzar, and Jorden Thorpe because Jones had not provided addresses for them. The court stated that it would consider a later request for service if Jones provided those addresses.
Request for Counsel
Jones also applied for the court to request volunteer counsel. The court explained that the merits of the case receive the most attention when evaluating such a request, but found that the case was too early in the proceedings for it to assess the merits. Judge Andrew L. Carter, Jr. therefore denied the request for counsel without prejudice to renewal at a later date.
Other Disposition
The court certified that any appeal from this order would not be taken in good faith and denied permission to proceed without paying fees for purposes of an appeal. The Clerk was directed to mail Jones a copy of the order and an information package.
Read the full 5-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.