Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-azd-2_19-cv-05914/USCOURTS-azd-2_19-cv-05914-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 440
Nature of Suit: Other Civil Rights
Cause of Action: 15:1681 Fair Credit Reporting Act

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WO

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA

Jaron D. Perkins,

Plaintiff,

v. 

JPMorgan Chase Bank NA,

Defendant.

No. CV-19-05914-PHX-JJT

ORDER 

At issue are pro se Plaintiff Jaron D. Perkins’s Complaint (Doc. 1, Compl.) and 

Application to Proceed in District Court without Prepaying Fees or Costs (Doc. 2). The 

Application does not contain sufficient information from which the Court can determine 

that Plaintiff is entitled to proceed without paying the Court’s filing fees. Specifically, 

Plaintiff lists $0 for every item on the form, including his food and lodging expenses. 

Without more explanation or detail, the Court cannot rule on Plaintiff’s Application. The 

Court will thus deny the Application but allow Plaintiff to file an Amended Application.

Even if the Court were to grant the Application, the Court finds that the Complaint 

fails to state claims upon screening it pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2). The Court will 

therefore dismiss the Complaint but allow Plaintiff to file an Amended Complaint.

I. LEGAL STANDARDS

A. 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2)

For casessuch as the present one in which a party asks to proceed in forma pauperis—

that is, the party lacks the means to pay court fees—Congress provided that a district court 

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“shall dismiss the case at any time if the court determines” that the “allegation of poverty is 

untrue” or that the “action or appeal” is “frivolous or malicious,” “fails to state a claim on 

which relief may be granted,” or “seeks monetary relief against a defendant who is immune 

from such relief.” 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2). Section 1915(e) applies to all in forma pauperis

proceedings. Lopez v. Smith, 203 F.3d 1122, 1129 (9th Cir. 2000). “It is also clear thatsection 

1915(e) not only permits but requires a district court to dismiss an in forma pauperis

complaint that fails to state a claim.” Id. at 1127.

B. Rule 8, Federal Rules of Civil Procedure

A complaint must include “a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the 

pleader is entitled to relief.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2). The complaint must contain “sufficient 

factual matter, accepted as true, to ‘state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.’” 

Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009) (quoting Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 

544, 570 (2007)). Even where a complaint has the factual elements of a cause of action 

present but scattered throughout the complaint and not organized into a “short and plain 

statement of the claim,” it may be dismissed for failure to satisfy Rule 8(a). Sparling v. 

Hoffman Constr. Co., 864 F.2d 635, 640 (9th Cir. 1988). A dismissal for failure to state a 

claim can be based on either (1) the lack of a cognizable legal theory or (2) insufficient facts 

to support a cognizable legal claim. Balistreri v. Pacifica Police Dep’t, 901 F.2d 696, 699 

(9th Cir. 1990).

II. ANALYSIS

In the Complaint, Plaintiff appears to raise 12 claims against Defendant under the 

Fair Credit Reporting Act, but none of the 12 claims are delineated, and it is entirely unclear 

to the Court what the 12 claims are. The Court must dismiss the Complaint for this reason 

alone.

The Complaint also fails to state claims because, while it does contain factual 

allegations, no facts are associated with the alleged 12 claims under the Fair Credit 

Reporting Act, whatever they may be. To avoid dismissal, each claim must include

sufficient factual allegations to support a cognizable legal claim.

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If a defective complaint can be cured, the plaintiff is entitled to amend the complaint 

before the action is dismissed. See Lopez, 203 F.3d at 1130. Because Plaintiff may be able 

to cure the defects in his Complaint by amendment, the Court will dismiss the Complaint 

without prejudice.

IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED denying Plaintiff’s Application to Proceed in 

District Court Without Prepaying Fees or Costs (Doc. 2), with leave to file an Amended 

Application by January 24, 2020.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED dismissing Plaintiff’s Complaint (Doc. 1) without 

prejudice. Plaintiff may file an Amended Complaint by January 24, 2020. Failure to timely 

file an Amended Application and Amended Complaint will result in dismissal of this action.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED directing the Clerk of Court to dismiss this action if 

Plaintiff fails to file an Amended Application and Amended Complaint by January 24, 

2020.

Dated this 3rd day of January, 2020.

Honorable John J. Tuchi

United States District Judge

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