Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-casd-3_07-cv-01608/USCOURTS-casd-3_07-cv-01608-0/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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K:\COMMON\EVERYONE\_EFILE-PROSE\H\07-1608-DNY.wpd -1- 07cv1608

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

Q. DIAZ NGUYEN,

CDCR #T-20904,

Civil No. 07-1608 H (LSP)

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.

LINDA YOST,

Defendant.

Plaintiff, Q. Diaz Nguyen, a state prisoner currently incarcerated at the Richard J.

Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, California, and proceeding pro se, has submitted

a civil rights Complaint pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1983. Plaintiff has not prepaid the $350 filing

fee mandated 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

Effective April 9, 2006, 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 $350. See 28 U.S.C. § 1914(a). An action may proceed despite a party’s failure to

Case 3:07-cv-01608-H-LSP Document 3 Filed 08/24/07 Page 1 of 3
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pay 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, 2007 WL 1932824 at *3, ___ F.3d ___ (9th Cir. July 5,

2007); Rodriguez v. Cook, 169 F.3d 1176, 1177 (9th Cir. 1999). Prisoners granted leave to

proceed IFP however, remain obligated to pay the entire fee in installments, regardless of

whether the action is ultimately dismissed for any reason. See 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(1) & (2).

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 must assess an initial payment of 20% of (a) the

average monthly deposits in the account for the past six 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 also Taylor v. Delatoore, 281 F.3d 844, 850 (9th

Cir. 2002). Thereafter, the institution having custody of the prisoner must collect subsequent

payments, assessed at 20% of the preceding month’s income, in any month in which the

prisoner’s account exceeds $10, and forward those payments 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 in this matter pursuant to 28 U.S.C.

§ 1915(a), he has not attached a certified copy of his prison trust account statement 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

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 filing fee required to initiate this action. See 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(1).

Therefore, Plaintiff’s Motion to Proceed IFP must be DENIED.

/ / /

/ / /

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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.

(2) This action is DISMISSED without prejudice for failure to prepay the $350 filing

fee mandated by 28 U.S.C. § 1914(a), and for failure to successfully move to proceed IFP

pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a). 

(3) Plaintiff if GRANTED forty five (45) days from the date this Order is Filed to

either: (1) pay the entire $350 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). 

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the Clerk of the Court shall provide Plaintiff with a

Court-approved form “Motion and Declaration in Support of Motion to Proceed IFP” in this

matter. If Plaintiff neither pays the $350 filing fee in full nor sufficiently completes and files the

attached Motion to Proceed IFP, together with a certified copy of his prison trust account

statement within 45 days, this action shall remained closed without further Order of the Court.

DATED: August 24, 2007

__________________________________

MARILYN L. HUFF, District Judge

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

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