Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-azd-4_24-cv-00583/USCOURTS-azd-4_24-cv-00583-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 863
Nature of Suit: Social Security - DIWC/DIWW (405(g))
Cause of Action: 42:405 Review of HHS Decision (DIWC)

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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA 

Sara Preston, 

Plaintiff, 

v. 

Commissioner of Social Security 

Administration, 

Defendant. 

No. CV-24-00583-TUC-LCK

REPORT AND 

RECOMMENDATION 

Pending before the Court is Plaintiff’s Motion to Proceed In Forma Pauperis (IFP). 

(Doc. 2.) Because there is not, and absent the Defendant’s appearance cannot be, full 

consent to Magistrate Judge jurisdiction in this case, the assigned Magistrate Judge submits 

a Report and Recommendation to Senior District Judge Raner C. Collins. Gen. Ord. 21-25. 

The Magistrate Judge recommends the District Court, after its independent review of the 

record, deny the Motion and direct Plaintiff to pay the filing fee or her case will be 

dismissed. 

 In her application, Plaintiff indicates that she has no monthly income and her 

husband’s monthly income is $5416 per month. (Doc. 2 at 1-2.) Plaintiff states that she has 

$36 in a checking account and $250 in a savings account, while her husband has $11,000 

in savings, which they have earmarked for car and home repairs. (Id. at 2, 5.) She and/or 

her spouse own a home worth $300,000, and two cars worth $14,000 and $500. (Id. at 3.) 

They have two adults that rely on them for support, a 29-year-old son that works full time 

and a 79-year-old mother-in-law with retirement income. (Id.) She averred that her 

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husband’s take-home pay is approximately $4000 per month and the family’s bills are 

approximately $4526 each month. (Id. at 4-5.) 

Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a), a plaintiff may file an action without paying the 

filing fee if she submits an affidavit stating that she lacks sufficient funds, and if her suit is 

not frivolous or malicious. Franklin v. Murphy, 745 F.2d 1221, 1226 (9th Cir. 1984). A 

plaintiff’s affidavit is sufficient to support her application when “it alleges that the affiant 

cannot pay the court costs and still afford the necessities of life.” Escobedo v. Applebees, 

787 F.3d 1226, 1228 (9th Cir. 2015) (citing Adkins v. E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co., 335 

U.S. 331, 339 (1948)). To obtain IFP status, the plaintiff “must allege poverty ‘with some 

particularity, definiteness and certainty.’” Id. (quoting United States v. McQuade, 647 F.2d 

938, 940 (9th Cir. 1981)). The Ninth Circuit has directed that an IFP application should not 

be denied based on the financial resources of a spouse unless those resources are available 

to the plaintiff and the spouse has sufficient funds to assist in paying the fee. Id.

As Plaintiff has no income, she is not able to pay the filing fee on her own. However, 

the Court finds it evident from the affidavit that Plaintiff’s spouse shares his income with 

his wife and family. Plaintiff attributed all household expenses to herself, listing no 

expenses as solely her husband’s, but in her written explanation indicated they were family 

expenses paid out of her husband’s salary. (Doc. 2 at 5.) She also stated that the $11,000 

that her husband had in savings was intended for repairs to family assets. Therefore, the 

Court considers the husband’s income and bank account when evaluating Plaintiff’s 

motion. Escobedo, 787 F.3d at 1236 (finding that when spouses share incomes, a court 

could consider a spouse’s income when ruling on an IFP application). 

In her application, Plaintiff indicated her spouse takes home approximately $48,000 

per year and Plaintiff indicates that money is used to pay all expenses. While subject to a 

mortgage, she and her husband own a home and two vehicles (although one is of little 

value). Plaintiff indicates they spend the entirety of his income on monthly expenses, with 

some months exceeding his income, but they owe only $800 on a credit card and have 

$11,000 in savings. Given the level of assets Plaintiff and her spouse possess, the Court 

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finds that Plaintiff has not established her poverty with certainty or that she will not be able 

to afford the necessities of life if she is required to pay the $405 filing fee. 

Based on the foregoing, the Magistrate Judge recommends that the District Court 

enter an order denying Plaintiff's Motion for In Forma Pauperis Status (Doc. 2) and 

directing her to pay the filing fee or her Complaint will be subject to dismissal. Pursuant to 

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 72(b)(2), Plaintiff may serve and file written objections 

within fourteen days of being served with a copy of the Report and Recommendation. If 

objections are not timely filed, they may be deemed waived. 

Dated this 5th day of December, 2024. 

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