Mercer v. New York City Housing Authority
- Gregory Woods
- 1:21-cv-10503
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In Mercer v. New York City Housing Authority, Judge Woods ordered pro se plaintiff Robert Mercer to resubmit his unsigned amended complaint.
Robert Mercer must resubmit the amended complaint with a signature and the date within 14 days of February 25, 2022. The order does not decide whether the amended complaint is legally sufficient.
What happened
In Mercer v. New York City Housing Authority, Robert Mercer filed an amended complaint without a signature. The opinion states that Mercer was representing himself.
The court explained that federal and local rules require an unrepresented party to sign court filings. It directed Mercer to resubmit the amended complaint with a signature and the date within 14 days.
Judge Gregory H. Woods did not decide whether the amended complaint was legally sufficient. The clerk was directed to mail Mercer a copy of the order.
The detailed version
- Mercer v. New York City Housing Authority · No. 1:21-cv-10503
- Gregory Woods
- Feb. 25, 2022
Background
Robert Mercer brought this action without a lawyer. He submitted an amended complaint that did not contain a signature.
Court’s analysis
Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 11(a) requires every pleading, written motion, and other paper to be signed by an attorney or, when a party is unrepresented, by that party personally. The court also cited Local Civil Rule 11.1(a). The order explained that a pro se party filing by email may sign by hand and scan the document, use a digital signature, or type “/s/Filer’s Name.”
Ruling
Judge Gregory H. Woods directed Mercer to resubmit the amended complaint with a signature and the date within 14 days of the order. The court expressly stated that it was taking no position on whether the amended complaint was legally sufficient. The clerk was directed to mail a copy of the order to Mercer by first-class mail.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.