Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-casd-3_17-cv-01854/USCOURTS-casd-3_17-cv-01854-0/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 

JARED BENJAMIN MIMMS, 

CDCR #AZ-2648 

v. 

PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF 

CALIFORNIA, et al., 

Plaintiff, 

Defendants. 

Case No.: 3:17-cv-1854-WQH-NLS 

ORDER DENYING MOTION TO 

PROCEED IN FORMA PAUPERIS 

AND DISMISSING ACTION 

WITHOUT PREJUDICE 

20 Jared Benjamin Mimms ("Plaintiff'), currently housed at the San Diego Central 

21 Jail located in San Diego, California, and proceeding pro se, has filed a civil rights 

22 complaint ("Comp!.") pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. (ECF No. 1). Plaintiff has not 

23 prepaid the civil filing fee required by 28 U.S.C. § 1914(a); instead, he has filed a Motion 

24 to Proceed In Forma Pauperis ("IFP") pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a). (ECF No. 2). 

25 I. 

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Motion to Proceed IFP 

All parties instituting any civil action, suit or proceeding in a district court of the 

27 United States, except an application for writ of habeas corpus, must pay a filing fee of 

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

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

2 § 1915(a).SeeRodriguezv. Cook, 169F.3d 1176, 1177(9thCir.1999).However,ifthe 

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

4 nevertheless remains obligated to pay the entire fee in "increments," see Williams v. 

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

6 ultimately dismissed. See 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(l) & (2); Taylor v. Delatoore, 281 F.3d 

7 844, 847 (9th Cir. 2002). A "prisoner" is defined as "any person" who at the time of 

8 filing is "incarcerated or detained in any facility who is accused of, convicted of, 

9 sentenced for, or adjudicated delinquent for, violations of criminal law or the terms or 

10 conditions of parole, probation, pretrial release, or diversionary program." 28 U.S.C. 

11 § 1915(h); Taylor, 281 F.3d at 847. 

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

13 also submit a "certified copy ofthe[ir] trust fund account statement (or institutional 

14 equivalent) ... for the 6-month period immediately preceding the filing of the complaint. 

15 ... " 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(2). From the certified trust account statement, the Court 

16 assesses an initial payment of20% of (a) the average monthly deposits in the account for 

1 7 the past six months, or (b) the average monthly balance in the account for the past six 

18 months, whichever is greater, unless the prisoner has no assets. See 28 U.S.C. 

19 § 1915(b)(l), (4); Taylor, 281 F.3d at 850. Thereafter, the institution having custody of 

20 the prisoner collects subsequent payments, assessed.at 20% of the preceding month's 

21 income, in any month in which the prisoner's account exceeds $10, and forwards them to 

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

23 While Plaintiff has filed a Motion to Proceed IFP pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a), 

24 he has not attached a certified copy of his trust account statements, or an institutional 

25 equivalent, for the 6-month period immediately preceding the filing of his Complaint. See 

26 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(2); S.D. Cal. CivLR 3.2. Section 1915(a)(2) clearly requires that 

27 prisoners "seeking to bring a civil action ... without prepayment of fees ... shall submit 

28 a certified copy of the trust fund account statement (or institutional equivalent) ... for the 

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1 6-month period immediately preceding the filing of the complaint." 28 U.S.C. 

2 § 1915(a)(2) (emphasis added). 

3 Without Plaintiffs current trust account statement reflecting the 6-month period 

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

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

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

7 II. Conclusion and Order 

8 For these reasons, IT IS ORDERED that: 

9 (1) Plaintiffs Motion to Proceed IFP (ECF No. 2) is DENIED and the action is 

10 DISMISSED without prejudice for failure to prepay the $400 filing fee required by 28 

11 U.S.C. § 1914(a). 

12 (2) Plaintiff is GRANTED forty-five (45) days from the date of this Order in 

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

14 administrative filing fee, or (2) filing a new Motion to Proceed IFP, which includes a 

15 certified copy of his trust account statement for the 6-month period preceding the filing of 

16 his Complaint pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(2) and S.D. Cal. CivLR 3.2(b). 

17 (3) The Clerk of the Court is DIRECTED to provide Plaintiff with a Court18 approved form "Motion and Declaration in Support of Motion to Proceed IFP" in this 

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

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

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

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Dated: 

Hon. William Q. Hayes 

United States District Judge 

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