Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-azd-3_09-cv-08218/USCOURTS-azd-3_09-cv-08218-0/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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JDDL

WO RP

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA

Carlton Errol Godwin, 

Plaintiff, 

vs.

Thomas M. Stoxen, et al., 

Defendants. 

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No. CV 09-8218-PCT-MHM (MEA)

ORDER

Plaintiff Carlton Errol Godwin, who is confined under Arizona Department of

Corrections (ADOC) custody in the Huerfano County Correctional Center in Walsenburg,

Colorado, has filed a pro se civil rights Complaint pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Doc. #1).

Plaintiff has not paid the $350.00 civil action filing fee but has filed a deficient Application

to Proceed In Forma Pauperis (Doc. #3). The Court will deny the Application to Proceed

In Forma Pauperis without prejudice and give Plaintiff 30 days to pay the fee or file a new,

completed Application to Proceed In Forma Pauperis and a certified six-month trust account

statement.

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

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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 he 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(a).

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

Although Plaintiff has filed the Application to Proceed In Forma Pauperis on the

court-approved form, Plaintiff’s Application to Proceed is deficient in a couple of ways.

First, the “Certificate of Correctional Official as to Status of Applicant’s Trust Account”

section has not been filled out with Plaintiff’s trust account balance, average monthly

deposits during the prior six months, and average monthly balance during the prior six

months. Second, the printout of Plaintiff's “Inmate Bank Account,” that was filed separately

(Doc. #4), provides only a spendable balance for November 18, 2009, does not provide

average monthly deposits or average monthly balances, and has not been signed by an

authorized officer as required. 

In light of these deficiencies, Plaintiff's Application to Proceed In Forma Pauperis

will be denied without prejudice, and Plaintiff will be permitted 30 days to either pay the

$350.00 filing fee or file a new, completed Application to Proceed In Forma Pauperis and

a certified six-month trust account statement.

The 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

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Office. Accordingly, Plaintiff must obtain the certified copy of his trust fund account

statement 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

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. #3) 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 new, completed Application to Proceed In Forma Pauperis and

a certified six-month trust account statement from the ADOC’s Central Office. 

(3) If Plaintiff fails to either pay the $350.00 filing fee or file a completed

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.

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(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 16th day of December, 2009.

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