Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-casd-3_14-cv-01816/USCOURTS-casd-3_14-cv-01816-0/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

JOSHUA DAVID WILLIAMS, 

Inmate Booking No. 14732898,

Civil No. 14cv1816 GPC (PCL)

Plaintiff,

ORDER DENYING MOTION TO

PROCEED IN FORMA PAUPERIS

AND DISMISSING CASE

WITHOUT PREJUDICE

PURSUANT TO 

28 U.S.C. § 1915(a) 

(Doc. No. 2)

 vs.

STATE OF CALIFORNIA, et al.,

Defendants.

 

Joshua David Williams (“Plaintiff”), currently incarcerated at San Diego Central

Jail located in San Diego, California, and proceeding pro se, has filed a civil rights

complaint (“Compl.”) pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Doc. No. 1). 

Plaintiff has not prepaid the civil filing fee required 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) (Doc. No. 2).

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

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$400. See 28 U.S.C. § 1914(a). An action may proceed despite a party’s failure to pay

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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 their case is ultimately dismissed. 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 pastsix 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 collects subsequent payments, assessed at 20% of the preceding month’s 

income, in any month in which the prisoner’s account exceeds $10, and forwards them

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 statements or the

institutional certificate of funds or its equivalent, 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 . . . shall submit a certified copy of the trust fund

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

May 1, 2013, must 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. May 1,

2013). However, the additional $50 administrative fee is waived if the plaintiff is

granted leave to proceed IFP. Id.

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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). 

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

the appropriate amount of the initial 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 (Doc. No. 2) 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). 

TheClerk ofthe Court isfurther DIRECTED to provide Plaintiff with the Court’s

approved form “Motion and Declaration in Support of Motion to Proceed IFP” for

Plaintiff’s use if he wishes to proceed further. 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 civil

action will remained dismissed without prejudice pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a) and

without further action by the Court.

DATED: August 20, 2014

HON. GONZALO P. CURIEL

United States District Judge

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