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S.D.N.Y.Procedural orderFiled Jan. 10, 2024

Horta Suarez v. Wells Fargo Bank, National Association

Judge
Laura Swain
Docket
1:23-cv-10600
Court
U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
Pages
4
Civil ProcedurePro Se
In one sentence

In Horta-Suarez v. Wells Fargo, Judge Swain ordered payment of fees or an application to proceed without prepayment within 30 days.

Who this affects

Joel A. Horta-Suarez must either pay the $405 in fees or submit a signed IFP application within 30 days; otherwise, the action will be dismissed. Wells Fargo Bank, National Association is the defendant, but the opinion does not describe any ruling on the underlying claims.

What happened

Joel A. Horta-Suarez v. Wells Fargo Bank, National Association concerns a lawsuit filed without the required filing fees or an application to proceed without prepaying fees. The opinion does not describe the lawsuit’s underlying claims.

The court ordered Joel A. Horta-Suarez, who is representing himself, to pay $405 or submit a signed application to proceed without prepaying fees within 30 days. No summons will issue at this time, and the action will be dismissed if he does not comply.

Chief Judge Laura Taylor Swain also denied fee-waiver status for an appeal and certified that an appeal from the order would not be taken in good faith.

The detailed version

For law students, journalists, and other readers who want the full reasoning

Case
Horta Suarez v. Wells Fargo Bank, National Association · No. 1:23-cv-10600
Judge
Laura Swain
Date
Jan. 10, 2024

Background

Joel A. Horta-Suarez filed this action pro se, meaning without a lawyer. The complaint was submitted without the required filing fees and without an application to proceed in forma pauperis (IFP), which means proceeding without prepaying court fees. The opinion does not state what claims the complaint asserts.

Order

The court explained that proceeding with a civil action in the Southern District of New York requires either payment of $405 in fees—a $350 filing fee and a $55 administrative fee—or submission of a signed IFP application. The court gave Horta-Suarez 30 days from the date of the order to do one of those things. If he submits the application, it must identify docket number 23-CV-10600 (LTS).

No summons will issue at this time. If Horta-Suarez complies, the case will be processed under the Clerk’s Office procedures. If he does not comply within the permitted time, the action will be dismissed.

Appeal-related ruling

The court certified under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(3) that any appeal from this order would not be taken in good faith. It therefore denied IFP status for purposes of an appeal.

Judge

Chief United States District Judge Laura Taylor Swain issued and signed the order.

The authoritative version

Read the full 4-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.

Open opinion PDF →
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