Hill v. Foundation Media LLC

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK LAWAND HILL, Plaintiff, 1:25-CV-5947 (LTS) -against- ORDER DIRECTING PAYMENT OF FEE OR IFP APPLICATION FOUNDATION MEDIA LLC, AND SIGNATURE Defendant.

LAURA TAYLOR SWAIN, Chief United States District Judge: Plaintiff brings this action pro se. As set forth below, the Court directs Plaintiff (1) to pay the $405.00 in fees necessary to initiate this action or submit an application to proceed in forma pauperis (“IFP”); and (2) to resubmit a signed the complaint and the IFP application.

DISCUSSION A. Fees To proceed with a civil action in this court, a plaintiff must either pay $405.00 in fees – a $350.00 filing fee plus a $55.00 administrative fee – or, to request authorization to proceed without prepayment of fees, submit a signed IFP application. See 28 U.S.C. §§ 1914, 1915.

Plaintiff submitted the complaint without the filing fees or an IFP application. Within thirty days of the date of this order, Plaintiff must either pay the $405.00 in fees or submit the attached IFP application. If Plaintiff submits the IFP application, it should be labeled with docket number 1:25-CV-5947. If the Court grants the IFP application, Plaintiff will be permitted to proceed without prepayment of fees. See 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(1).

B. Signature The complaint and the IFP application that Plaintiff submitted is unsigned. Rule 11(a) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure provides that “[e]very pleading, written motion, and other paper must be signed . . . by a party personally if the party is unrepresented.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 11(a); see Becker v. Montgomery, 532 U.S. 757, 764 (2001) (interpreting Rule 11(a) to require, “as it did in John Hancock’s day, a name handwritten (or a mark handplaced)”). Accordingly, Plaintiff is directed to sign and submit the attached signature page of the complaint and the IFP application within 30 days of the date of this order.

CONCLUSION No summons or answer shall issue at this time. If Plaintiff complies with this order, the case shall be processed in accordance with the procedures of the Clerk’s Office. If Plaintiff fails to comply with this order within the time allowed, the action will be dismissed without prejudice.

The Court certifies under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(3) that any appeal from this order would not be taken in good faith, and therefore in forma pauperis status is denied for the purpose of an appeal. Cf. Coppedge v. United States, 369 U.S. 438, 444–45 (1962) (holding that appellant demonstrates good faith when seeking review of a nonfrivolous issue).

SO ORDERED.

Dated: July 25, 2025 New York, New York /s/ Laura Taylor Swain LAURA TAYLOR SWAIN Chief United States District Judge Pro Se 1 (Rev. 12/16) Complaint for a Civil Case Vv. Certification and Closing Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 11, by signing below, I certify to the best of my knowledge, information, and belief that this complaint: (1) is not being presented for an improper purpose, such as to harass, cause unnecessary delay, or needlessly increase the cost of litigation; (2) is supported by existing law or by a nonfrivolous argument for extending, modifying, or reversing existing law; (3) the factual contentions have evidentiary support or, if specifically so identified, will likely have evidentiary support after a reasonable opportunity for further investigation or discovery; and (4) the complaint otherwise complies with the requirements of Rule 11.

A. For Parties Without an Attorney I agree to provide the Clerk’s Office with any changes to my address where case—related papers may be served. I understand that my failure to keep a current address on file with the Clerk’s Office may result in the dismissal of my case.

Date of signing: Signature of Plaintiff Printed Name of Plaintiff B. For Attorneys Date of signing: Signature of Attorney Printed Name of Attorney Bar Number Name of Law Firm Street Address State and Zip Code Telephone Number E-mail Address Page | of 5 AO 239 (Rev. 01/15) Application to Proceed in District Court Without Prepaying Fees or Costs (Long Form) UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT for the District of ) Plaintiff/Petitioner ) v. ) Civil Action No. ) Defendant/Respondent ) APPLICATION TO PROCEED IN DISTRICT COURT WITHOUT PREPAYING FEES OR COSTS (Long Form) Affidavit in Support of the Application Instructions Iam a plaintiff or petitioner in this case and declare Complete all questions in this application and then sign it. that I am unable to pay the costs of these proceedings Do not leave any blanks: if the answer to a question is “O,” and that I am entitled to the relief requested. declare “none,” or “not applicable (N/A),” write that response. If under penalty of perjury that the information below is you need more space to answer a question or to explain your true and understand that a false statement may result in answer, attach a separate sheet of paper identified with your a dismissal of my claims. name, your case's docket number, and the question number.

Signed: Date: 1. For both you and your spouse estimate the average amount of money received from each of the following sources during the past 12 months. Adjust any amount that was received weekly, biweekly, quarterly, semiannually, or annually to show the monthly rate. Use gross amounts, that is, amounts before any deductions for taxes or otherwise.

Income source Average monthly income Income amount expected amount during the past 12 next month months Gift