Opinion
20-CV-10359 (JMF)
07-29-2021
DEREK GLOVER, Petitioner, v. BRONX SUPREME COURT, Respondent.
ORDER
JESSE M. FURMAN, United States District Judge.
On July 28, 2021, the Court received an email communication from Petitioner, attached as Exhibit A, along with a document titled “First Amended Complaint, ” attached as Exhibit B. Among other things, this communication is in violation of the Court's Individual Rules and Practices in Civil Pro Se Cases, which provides that no documents or court filings may be sent directly to Chambers. Petitioner must instead make any filings through the Court's Pro Se Intake Unit. In addition, the First Amended Complaint, which is unsigned, does not comply with the requirements of Rule 11(a) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, which provides that “[e]very pleading, written motion, and other paper must be signed by . . . a party personally if the party is unrepresented. The paper must state the signer's address, e-mail address, and telephone number....The court must strike an unsigned paper unless the omission is promptly corrected after being called to . . . party's attention.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 11(a). Nor may parties file things in Microsoft Word format; they must be filed as PDFs or in hard copy.
In light of the current global health crisis, parties proceeding pro se are encouraged to submit all filings as PDFs by email to Temporary Pro Se Filing@nysd.uscourts.gov. Instructions for filing documents by email are attached to this Order as Exhibit C. Pro se parties are also encouraged to consent to receive all court documents electronically. A Consent to Electronic Service Form is attached to this Order as Exhibit D and is available on the Court's website at https://nysd.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/2018-06/proseconsentecfnotice-final.pdf. Pro se parties who are unable to use email may still submit documents by regular mail to the Pro Se Office, Thurgood Marshall Courthouse, 40 Centre Street, Room 105, New York, New York 10007, or in person at the drop box located at the U.S. Courthouses in Manhattan (500 Pearl Street) and White Plains (300 Quarropas Street). In either case, however, there may be significant delays before such filings are received and/or docketed. No documents or court filings should be sent directly to Chambers. Copies of correspondence between a pro se party and counsel shall not be sent to the Court. For more information, please visit the Court's website at www.nysd.uscourts.gov and review the Court's Individual Rules and Practices in Civil Pro Se Cases, attached to this Order as Exhibit E.
There is a Pro Se Law Clinic in this District to assist non-incarcerated people who are parties in civil cases and do not have lawyers. The Clinic may be able to provide Petitioner with advice in connection with this case. The Pro Se Law Clinic is run by a private organization called the New York Legal Assistance Group; it is not part of, or run by, the Court (and, among other things, therefore cannot accept filings on behalf of the Court, which must still be made by any unrepresented party through the Pro Se Intake Unit). Due to the current global health crisis, the Clinic has suspended all in-person client meetings until further notice. Limited-scope legal assistance will continue to be provided, but only by appointment and only over the telephone. To schedule an appointment, Petitioner should call (212) 659-6190 and leave a message specifying a call-back number.
Petitioner's request for the appointment of counsel is DENIED without prejudice to a new motion made in the proper manner.
As a courtesy, given Petitioner's pro se status, the deadline to oppose the motion to dismiss or to amend his Petition is EXTENDED, nunc pro tunc, to August 19, 2021.
The Clerk of Court is directed to mail a copy of this Order to Petitioner.
SO ORDERED.