Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-azd-2_10-cv-02542/USCOURTS-azd-2_10-cv-02542-0/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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JDDL

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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA

Ricky Lee Gingerich, 

Plaintiff, 

vs.

Yuma City Police Department, et al.,

Defendants. 

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No. CV 10-2542-PHX-RCB (MEA)

ORDER

On November 23, 2010, Plaintiff Ricky Lee Gingerich, who is confined in the Yuma

County Detention Center in Yuma, Arizona, filed a pro se Complaint (Doc. 1). Plaintiff did

not pay the $350.00 civil action filing fee or file an Application to Proceed In Forma

Pauperis.

I. Payment of Filing Fee

When bringing an action, a prisoner must either pay the $350.00 filing fee in a lump

sum or, if granted the privilege of proceeding in forma pauperis, pay the fee incrementally

as set forth in 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(1). An application to proceed in forma pauperis requires

an affidavit of indigence and a certified copy of the inmate’s trust account statement for the

six months preceding the filing of the Complaint. 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(2). An inmate must

submit statements from each institution where he was confined during the six-month period.

Id. To assist prisoners in meeting these requirements, the Court requires use of a form

application. LRCiv 3.4(a).

Case 2:10-cv-02542-RCB--MEA Document 3 Filed 12/02/10 Page 1 of 4
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If a prisoner is granted leave to proceed in forma pauperis, the Court will assess an

initial partial filing fee of 20% of either the average monthly deposits or the average monthly

balance in Plaintiff’s account, whichever is greater. 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(1). An initial

partial filing fee will only be collected when funds exist. 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(4). The

balance of the fee will be collected in monthly payments of 20% of the preceding month’s

income credited to an inmate’s account, each time the amount in the account exceeds $10.00.

28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(2). 

Because Plaintiff has not paid the $350.00 civil action filing fee or filed an

Application to Proceed In Forma Pauperis, Plaintiff will be permitted 30 days from the filing

date of this Order to submit a properly executed and certified Application to Proceed In

Forma Pauperis, using the form included with this Order, or pay the $350.00 filing fee.

II. Complaint not on Court-Approved Form

Local Rule of Civil Procedure 3.4(a) requires in part that “[a]ll complaints and

applications to proceed in forma pauperis by incarcerated persons shall be signed and legibly

written or typewritten on forms approved by the Court and in accordance with the

instructions provided with the forms.” Plaintiff’s Complaint is not on a court-approved form

as required by Local Rule of Civil Procedure 3.4(a). Plaintiff’s Complaint will therefore be

dismissed without prejudice, with leave to amend, in order for Plaintiff to file an amended

complaint on a court-approved form.

 Within 30 days, Plaintiff may submit a first amended complaint on a court-approved

form. The Clerk of Court will mail Plaintiff a court-approved form to use for filing a first

amended complaint. If Plaintiff fails to use the court-approved form, the Court may strike

the amended complaint and dismiss this action without further notice to Plaintiff.

Plaintiff must clearly designate on the face of the document that it is the “First

Amended Complaint.” The first amended complaint must be retyped or rewritten in its

entirety on the court-approved form and may not incorporate any part of the original

Complaint reference. Plaintiff may include only one claim per count.

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A first amended complaint supersedes the original Complaint. Ferdik v. Bonzelet,

963 F.2d 1258, 1262 (9th Cir. 1992); Hal Roach Studios v. Richard Feiner & Co., 896 F.2d

1542, 1546 (9th Cir. 1990). After amendment, the Court will treat the original Complaint as

nonexistent. Ferdik, 963 F.2d at 1262. Any cause of action that was raised in the original

Complaint is waived if it is not raised in a first amended complaint. King v. Atiyeh, 814 F.2d

565, 567 (9th Cir. 1987).

Plaintiff should note that, although he names himself and “Does 1 though 50” as

Plaintiffs, he has no authority to bring this action on behalf of others. “[C]onstitutional

claims are personal and cannot be asserted vicariously.” Johns v. County of San Diego, 114

F.3d 874, 876 (9th Cir. 1997). A party is permitted to plead and conduct his or her case

“personally or by counsel.” 28 U.S.C. § 1654. A non-lawyer may appear on his own behalf

in his own case but “has no authority to appear as an attorney for others than himself.”

Johns, 114 F.3d at 876 (quoting C.E. Pope Equity Trust v. United States, 818 F.2d 696, 697

(9th Cir. 1987)). If Plaintiff files an amended complaint, he must list only himself as the

Plaintiff.

III. Warnings

A. Address Changes

Plaintiff must file and serve a notice of a change of address in accordance with Rule

83.3(d) of the Local Rules of Civil Procedure. Plaintiff must not include a motion for other

relief with a notice of change of address. Failure to comply may result in dismissal of this

action.

B. Copies

Plaintiff must submit an additional copy of every filing for use by the Court. See

LRCiv 5.4. Failure to comply may result in the filing being stricken without further notice

to Plaintiff.

C. Possible Dismissal

If Plaintiff fails to timely comply with every provision of this Order, including these

warnings, the Court may dismiss this action without further notice. See Ferdik, 963 F.2d at

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1260-61 (a district court may dismiss an action for failure to comply with any order of the

Court).

IT IS ORDERED:

(1) Within 30 days of the date this Order is filed, Plaintiff must either pay the

$350.00 filing fee or file a complete Application to Proceed In Forma Pauperis and a

certified six-month trust account statement. 

(2) If Plaintiff fails to either pay the $350.00 filing fee or file a complete

Application to Proceed In Forma Pauperis within 30 days, the Clerk of Court must enter a

judgment of dismissal of this action without prejudice and without further notice to Plaintiff.

(3) Plaintiff’s Complaint (Doc. 1) is dismissed without prejudice for failure to

file on a court-approved form. Plaintiff has 30 days from the date this Order is filed to file

a first amended complaint in compliance with this Order.

(4) If Plaintiff fails to file an amended complaint within 30 days, the Clerk of

Court must, without further notice, enter a judgment of dismissal of this action without

prejudice and without further notice to Plaintiff.

(5) The Clerk of Court must mail Plaintiff a court-approved form for filing an

Application to Proceed In Forma Pauperis (Non-Habeas) and a court-approved form for

filing a civil rights complaint by a prisoner.

DATED this 30th day of November, 2010.

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