April 10, 2026·26-1470·Panel Decision·By Raj Patel
The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit dismissed an appeal filed by Somona Marie Lofton against the United States. The dismissal occurred because the appellant failed to pay the required docketing fee within the time permitted by court rules.
The appellant filed an appeal from the United States Court of Federal Claims in case number one comma two five dash civil zero one six four eight, before Judge Stephen S. Schwartz.
The court’s reasoning
The court found that the appellant failed to pay the docketing fee required by Federal Circuit Rule fifty-two subsection d within the time permitted by the rules. Consequently, the court ordered the notice of appeal dismissed for failure to prosecute in accordance with the rules.
What it means going forward
The dismissal terminates the appellate proceedings without a decision on the merits, leaving the Court of Federal Claims judgment in place.
