Harriram v. Fera
- Ronnie Abrams
- 1:22-cv-03356
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 3
In Harriram v. Fera, Judge Ronnie Abrams ordered U.S. Marshals to serve defendants after allowing Priya Harriram to proceed without paying fees.
Priya Harriram and the six named defendants; the Clerk of Court and the U.S. Marshals Service were directed to carry out the service process.
What happened
In Harriram v. Fera, Priya Harriram, representing herself, brought claims under Titles VII and IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and state law against six defendants connected with Lehman College and the City University of New York.
The court had already allowed Harriram to proceed without paying court fees. Judge Ronnie Abrams directed the Clerk to issue summonses and provide the paperwork needed for the U.S. Marshals Service to serve the defendants.
Judge Ronnie Abrams did not decide whether Harriram’s claims were valid. The order states that service must occur within 90 days after the summonses are issued, and that Harriram should request more time if service is not completed. She must also notify the court in writing if her address changes.
The detailed version
- Harriram v. Fera · No. 1:22-cv-03356
- Ronnie Abrams
- June 7, 2022
Background
Priya Harriram appears without a lawyer and asserts claims under Titles VII and IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as well as claims under state law. She names Joseph L. Fera, identified as a Lehman College professor; Dawn Ewing-Morgan, Bridget Barbera, and Eric Washington, identified as Lehman College officials; Lehman College; and the City University of New York as defendants.
Order
The court had previously granted Harriram permission to proceed without prepaying filing fees. Because she was proceeding without prepaying fees, the court stated that she could rely on the court and the U.S. Marshals Service to serve the defendants. The court directed the Clerk of Court to complete a U.S. Marshals Service Process Receipt and Return form for each defendant, mail Harriram an information package, issue summonses, and deliver the necessary paperwork to the Marshals Service.
The order explains that service must occur within 90 days after the summonses are issued, rather than 90 days after the complaint was filed. If service is not completed within that period, Harriram should request an extension of time. Harriram must also notify the court in writing if her address changes; the order states that the court may dismiss the action if she fails to do so.
Disposition and significance
Judge Ronnie Abrams ordered service on the defendants. This order addressed the mechanics of starting service and did not decide the merits of Harriram’s federal or state-law claims.
Read the full 3-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.