Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-casd-3_14-cv-00352/USCOURTS-casd-3_14-cv-00352-1/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 550
Nature of Suit: Prisoner - Civil Rights (U.S. defendant)
Cause of Action: 42:1983 Prisoner Civil Rights

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

GUADALUPE ROCHA-FERNANDEZ, 

BOP No. 29255298,

Civil No. 14cv0352 LAB (MDD)

Plaintiff, ORDER DENYING MOTION TO

PROCEED IN FORMA PAUPERIS

AND DISMISSING CASE WITHOUT

PREJUDICE PURSUANT TO 

28 U.S.C. § 1915(a) 

[ECF Doc. No. 3]

 vs.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Defendant.

 

Plaintiff, a prisoner currentlyincarcerated at Giles W. DalbyCorrectional Facilitylocated

in Post, Texas, and proceeding pro se, has filed a civil rights complaint pursuant to 42 U.S.C.

§ 1983. Plaintiff has not prepaid the filing fee mandated by 28 U.S.C. § 1914(a); instead, he

has filed a Motion to Proceed In Forma Pauperis(“IFP”) pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a) [ECF

Doc. No. 3].

I. MOTION TO PROCEED IFP

All parties instituting any civil action, suit or proceeding in a district court of the United

States, except an application for writ of habeas corpus, must pay a filing fee of $400. See 28 1

In addition to the $350 statutory fee, all parties filing civil actions on or after May 1, 2013, must 1

pay an additional administrative fee of $50. See 28 U.S.C. § 1914(a) (Judicial Conference Schedule of

Fees, District Court Misc. Fee Schedule)(eff. May1, 2013). However, the additional $50 administrative

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U.S.C. § 1914(a). An action may proceed despite a party’s failure to pay only if the party is

granted leave to proceed in forma pauperis (“IFP”) pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a). See

Andrews v. Cervantes, 493 F.3d 1047, 1051 (9th Cir. 2007); Rodriguez v. Cook, 169 F.3d 1176,

1177 (9th Cir. 1999). “Under the PLRA [Prison Litigation Reform Act], all prisoners who file

IFP civil actions must pay the full amount of the filing fee,” regardless of whether the action is

ultimately dismissed for any reason. See Taylor v. Delatoore, 281 F.3d 844, 847 (9th Cir. 2002)

(citing 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(1) & (2)). 

In order to comply with the PLRA, prisoners seeking leave to proceed IFP must also

submit a “certified copy of the trust fund account statement (or institutional equivalent) for the

prisoner for the 6-month period immediately preceding the filing of the complaint....” 28 U.S.C.

§ 1915(a)(2). From the certified trust account statement, the Court assesses an initial payment

of 20% of (a) the average monthly deposits in the account for the past six months, or (b) the

average monthly balance in the account for the past six months, whichever is greater, unless the

prisoner has no assets. See 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(1), (4); see Taylor, 281 F.3d at 850. Thereafter,

the institution having custody of the prisoner must collect subsequent payments, assessed at 20%

of the preceding month’s income, in anymonth in which the prisoner’s account exceeds $10, and

forward those payments to the Court until the entire filing fee is paid. See 28 U.S.C.

§ 1915(b)(2). 

While Plaintiff has filed a Motion to Proceed IFP pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a), he has

not attached a certified copy of his prison trust account statement for the 6-month period

immediately preceding the filing of his Complaint. See 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(2); S.D. CAL.

CIVLR 3.2. Section 1915(a)(2) clearly mandates that prisoners “seeking to bring a civil action

...without prepayment of fees ... shallsubmit a certified copy of the trust fund account statement

(or institutional equivalent) ... for the 6-month period immediately preceding the filing of the

complaint.” 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(2) (emphasis added). 

fee is waived if the plaintiff is granted leave to proceed IFP. Id.

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Without Plaintiff’s trust account statement, the Court is simply unable to assess the

appropriate amount of the filing fee which is statutorily required to initiate the prosecution of

this action. See 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(1).

II. CONCLUSION AND ORDER

For the reasons set forth above, IT IS ORDERED that:

(1) Plaintiff’s Motion to Proceed IFP [ECF Doc. No. 3] is DENIED and the action is

DISMISSED without prejudice for failure to prepay the $400 filing fee mandated by 28 U.S.C.

§ 1914(a).

(2) Plaintiff is GRANTED an additional forty-five (45) days from the date of this

Order to either: (1) pay the entire $400 statutory and administrative filing fee, or (2) file a new

Motion to Proceed IFP, which includes a certified copy of his trust account statement for the 6-

month period preceding the filing of his Complaint pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(2) and S.D.

CAL. CIVLR 3.2(b).

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the Clerk of the Court shall provide Plaintiff with a

Court-approved form “Motion and Declaration in Support of Motion to Proceed IFP” in this

matter. If Plaintiff neither pays the $400 filing fee in full nor sufficiently completes and files

the attached Motion to Proceed IFP, together with a certified copy of his trust account statement

within 45 days, this action shall remained closed without further Order of the Court.

DATED: April 21, 2014

HONORABLE LARRY ALAN BURNS

United States District Judge

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