Powell v. New York Housing Court
- Anne Katz
- 1:23-cv-04617
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 1
In Powell v. New York Housing Court, the court dismissed Powell’s complaint on threshold grounds and denied appeal fee-waiver status.
Claude O. Powell, Jr.; the New York Housing Court; and Judge Anne Katz
What happened
In Claude O. Powell, Jr. v. New York Housing Court, Powell’s complaint was dismissed. The judgment does not describe the events behind his claims.
The court dismissed the claims against the New York Housing Court under the Eleventh Amendment and dismissed the claims against Judge Anne Katz under absolute judicial immunity. It also dismissed the complaint as barred by a rule generally preventing federal district courts from reviewing state-court judgments.
The court entered judgment and certified that an appeal would not be taken in good faith, so it denied Powell permission to appeal without paying filing fees. The judge is not identified in the opinion; the judgment was entered by the court.
The detailed version
- Powell v. New York Housing Court · No. 1:23-cv-04617
- Anne Katz
- Oct. 11, 2023
Background
The opinion is a judgment in Claude O. Powell, Jr.’s case against the New York Housing Court and Judge Anne Katz. It does not describe the underlying events or the specific claims in the complaint.
Rulings
The judgment states that, for the reasons given in the court’s October 10, 2023 order, Powell’s complaint was dismissed as barred by the Rooker-Feldman doctrine. That doctrine generally limits federal district courts from reviewing state-court judgments.
The judgment separately states that Powell’s claims against the New York Housing Court were dismissed as barred by the Eleventh Amendment, which generally provides states and certain state entities protection from some federal lawsuits. It also states that Powell’s claims against Judge Anne Katz were dismissed as barred by absolute judicial immunity, a protection that generally prevents lawsuits based on judicial acts.
Appeal and disposition
The court certified under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(3) that any appeal would not be taken in good faith and therefore denied permission to appeal without paying filing fees. The judgment was entered on October 11, 2023. The opinion does not identify the presiding judge; Ruby J. Krajick is identified as the Clerk of Court, with K. Mango as Deputy Clerk.
Read the full 1-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.