Andersen v. British Airways PLC

Background

Lauren Andersen brought the action without a lawyer. The complaint was submitted without the required filing fees and without an application to proceed without prepaying fees.

Court’s order

The court explained that proceeding with a civil action required either payment of $402—consisting of a $350 filing fee and a $52 administrative fee—or submission of a signed application to proceed without prepaying fees. Andersen was given 30 days from the date of the order to do one of those two things. If she submitted the application, it had to identify docket number 22-CV-1045.

The court stated that, if it granted the application, Andersen could proceed without prepaying fees. No summons would issue at that time. If Andersen complied, the case would be processed under the Clerk’s Office procedures; if she did not comply within the permitted time, the action would be dismissed.

Appeal and disposition

The court certified that an appeal from this order would not be taken in good faith and denied fee-free status for purposes of an appeal. Judge Laura Taylor Swain signed the order. The order addressed payment of fees and the application process; it did not decide the underlying claims against British Airways (BA) PLC or the other defendants.