Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-casd-3_18-cv-01198/USCOURTS-casd-3_18-cv-01198-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 550
Nature of Suit: Prisoner - Civil Rights (U.S. defendant)
Cause of Action: 42:1983pr Prisoner Civil Rights

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

JEFFREY ELIAS KANE,

Plaintiff,

v.

R.J. DONOVAN STATE PRISON; 

MEDICAL GROUP,

Defendants.

Case No.: 18-CV-1198 JLS (NLS)

ORDER DENYING MOTION TO 

PROCEED IN FORMA PAUPERIS 

AND DISMISSING ACTION 

WITHOUT PREJUDICE

Jeffrey Elias Kane (“Plaintiff”), currently housed at Vista Detention Facility located 

in Vista, California, and proceeding pro se, has filed a civil rights complaint (“Compl.”) 

pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983, (ECF No. 1). Plaintiff has not prepaid the civil filing fee 

required 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), (ECF No. 2), along with a Motion to 

Appoint Counsel, (ECF No. 3).

I. Motion to Proceed IFP

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 

$400. See 28 U.S.C. § 1914(a). An action may proceed despite a plaintiff’s failure to 

prepay the entire fee only if he is granted leave to proceed IFP pursuant to 28 U.S.C. 

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§ 1915(a). See Rodriguez v. Cook, 169 F.3d 1176, 1177 (9th Cir. 1999). However, if the 

plaintiff is a prisoner at the time of filing, he may be granted leave to proceed IFP, but he 

nevertheless remains obligated to pay the entire fee in “increments,” see Williams v. 

Paramo, 775 F.3d 1182, 1185 (9th Cir. 2015), regardless of whether his action is ultimately 

dismissed. See 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(1) & (2); Taylor v. Delatoore, 281 F.3d 844, 847 (9th 

Cir. 2002). A “prisoner” is defined as “any person” who at the time of filing is 

“incarcerated or detained in any facility who is accused of, convicted of, sentenced for, or 

adjudicated delinquent for, violations of criminal law or the terms or conditions of parole, 

probation, pretrial release, or diversionary program.” 28 U.S.C. § 1915(h); Taylor, 281 

F.3d at 847.

In order to comply with the PLRA, prisoners seeking leave to proceed IFP must also 

submit a “certified copy of the[ir] 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). From the certified trust account statement, the Court assesses 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 Taylor, 281 F.3d at 850. Thereafter, the institution having custody of the prisoner 

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

month in which the prisoner’s account exceeds $10, and forwards them to the Court until 

the entire filing fee is paid. See 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(2). 

Here, Plaintiff has not attached a certified copy of his trust account statements, or an 

institutional equivalent, for the 6-month period immediately preceding the filing of his 

Complaint. See 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(2); S.D. Cal. Civil Local Rule 3.2. Section 1915(a)(2) 

clearly requires 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). 

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Without Plaintiff’s current trust account statement reflecting the 6-month period 

immediately preceding the filing of this action, the Court is simply unable to assess the 

appropriate amount of the initial filing fee which is statutorily required to initiate the 

prosecution of this action. See 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(1).

II. Conclusion and Order

For these reasons:

(1) Plaintiff’s Motion to Proceed IFP, (ECF No. 2), is DENIED and the action is 

DISMISSED WITHOUT PREJUDICE for failure to prepay the $400 filing fee required 

by 28 U.S.C. § 1914(a).

(2) Plaintiff is GRANTED thirty (30) days from the date of this Order in which 

to re-open his case by either: (1) paying the entire $400 statutory and administrative filing 

fee, or (2) filing 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. Civil Local Rule 3.2(b). 

(3) The Clerk of the Court is DIRECTED to provide Plaintiff with a Courtapproved form “Motion and Declaration in Support of Motion to Proceed IFP” in this 

matter. If Plaintiff neither pays the $400 filing fee in full nor sufficiently completes and 

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

statement within 45 days, this action will remained dismissed without prejudice pursuant 

to 28 U.S.C. § 1914(a), and without further order of the Court.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: June 13, 2018

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