Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-azd-2_13-cv-00231/USCOURTS-azd-2_13-cv-00231-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 555
Nature of Suit: Prisoner - Prison Condition
Cause of Action: 28:1331 Federal Question: Bivens Act

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WO KM 

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA 

Frank M. Mendez, 

Plaintiff, 

 vs. 

State of Arizona, et al., 

Defendants. 

No. CV 13-231-PHX-RCB (JFM) 

 O R D E R 

 

Plaintiff Frank M. Mendez, who is confined in the Arizona State Prison ComplexLewis, has filed a pro se civil rights Complaint pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and an 

Application to Proceed In Forma Pauperis (Doc. 2). The Court will deny the deficient 

Application to Proceed and will give Plaintiff 30 days to pay the fee or file a complete 

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 the inmate 

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. 

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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).

II. Application Fails to Comply With Statute

 Plaintiff has used the court-approved form, but he has not submitted a certified 

six-month trust account statement. In light of this deficiency, the Court will deny the 

Application to Proceed and will give Plaintiff 30 days to either pay the $350.00 filing fee 

or file a complete Application to Proceed In Forma Pauperis. 

 Although Plaintiff attached a printout of his Arizona Department of Corrections 

(“ADOC”) inmate bank account statement to his Application to Proceed, the printout is 

not certified by an authorized officer of the institution and does not show deposits and 

average monthly balances, as required. ADOC has notified the Court that a certified trust 

fund account statement showing deposits and average monthly balances is available from 

the ADOC’s Central Office. Accordingly, Plaintiff must obtain the certified copy of his 

ADOC trust fund account statement for the six months immediately preceding the filing of 

the Complaint from the ADOC’s Central Office. 

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

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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 v. 

Bonzelet, 963 F.2d 1258, 1260-61 (9th Cir. 1992) (a district court may dismiss an action 

for failure to comply with any order of the Court). 

IT IS ORDERED:

 (1) Plaintiff’s Application to Proceed In Forma Pauperis (Doc. 2) is denied 

without prejudice. 

 (2) 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. 

 (3) 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. 

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

an Application to Proceed In Forma Pauperis (Non-Habeas). 

 DATED this 4th day of March, 2013. 

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