Friend v. Gasparino

**Friend v. Gasparino: Court Dismisses Case Over Unpaid Filing Fee** This case involved a worker named Friend who tried to sue their employer, Jeff Zmuda, claiming their civil rights were violated at work. Friend asked the court to waive the $402 filing fee because they couldn't afford to pay it upfront. The court denied Friend's request to proceed without paying the fee. The judge explained that Friend had previously filed and lost three or more lawsuits that were considered frivolous or malicious. Under federal law, people in this situation must pay court fees upfront unless they can prove they're in "imminent danger of serious physical injury." Friend couldn't meet this strict safety requirement. The court gave Friend until November 17, 2021, to pay the $402 fee, warning that failure to pay would result in dismissing the case entirely. **What this means for workers:** If you've filed multiple unsuccessful lawsuits in federal court, you may face restrictions on filing new cases without paying fees upfront. This "three-strikes" rule is designed to prevent abuse of the court system, but it can make it harder for workers with limited financial resources to pursue legitimate workplace civil rights claims in federal court.