Craft v. New York State Supreme Court
- Laura Swain
- 1:22-cv-10266
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In Craft v. New York State Supreme Court, Judge Swain dismissed a duplicative complaint without prejudice and denied fee-waiver status for an appeal.
Christopher D. Craft, Sr.; the New York State Supreme Court; and Judge Christie L. D’Alessio.
What happened
In Craft v. New York State Supreme Court, Christopher D. Craft, Sr., representing himself, sued the New York State Supreme Court and Judge Christie L. D’Alessio, alleging that they violated his rights.
The court said Craft had already filed a duplicate complaint that was pending under docket number 22-CV-10347. Because the two cases raised the same claims, the court found that litigating this duplicate case would serve no useful purpose.
Judge Laura Taylor Swain dismissed this complaint as duplicative, without prejudice to Craft’s pending case. She also ruled that an appeal would not be taken in good faith and denied fee-waiver status for an appeal; the Clerk was directed to enter judgment.
The detailed version
- Craft v. New York State Supreme Court · No. 1:22-cv-10266
- Laura Swain
- Dec. 9, 2022
Background
Christopher D. Craft, Sr., appearing without a lawyer, sued the New York State Supreme Court and Judge Christie L. D’Alessio. The opinion states that Craft alleged the defendants violated his rights, but it does not describe the underlying claims in detail.
Reason for dismissal
The court stated that Craft had previously submitted a duplicate complaint, which was pending under docket number 22-CV-10347. Because the present complaint raised the same claims, the court concluded that no useful purpose would be served by litigating the duplicate lawsuit.
Ruling
The court dismissed the complaint as duplicative, without prejudice to Craft’s pending case under docket number 22-CV-10347. “Without prejudice” means the dismissal did not bar the pending related case. The court also certified under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(3) that any appeal from the order would not be taken in good faith and denied in forma pauperis status—permission to proceed without paying the ordinary filing costs—for an appeal. The Clerk of Court was directed to enter judgment in this case.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.