Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-casd-3_14-cv-01855/USCOURTS-casd-3_14-cv-01855-0/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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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

VERNON D. HOOKS, 

CDCR #T-08976, Civil No. 14cv1855 MMA (KSC)

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.

J. GOMEZ, et al.,

Defendants.

 

Vernon D. Hooks (“Plaintiff”), currently incarcerated at Kern Valley State

Prison (“KVSP”) in Delano, California, and proceeding pro se, has filed a civil rights

complaint (“Compl.”) pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 [Doc. No. 1]. 

Plaintiff claims several Calipatria State Prison officials provided him

inadequate medical care in violation of the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments by

mistakenly giving him the wrong medication while he was incarcerated there in 2010. 

See Compl. at 7, 9. He seeks declaratory relief as well as compensatory and punitive

damages. Id. at 15-17.

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) [Doc. No. 2].

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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 $400.1

 See 28 U.S.C. § 1914(a). An action may proceed despite a party’s

failure to 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, 493 F.3d 1047, 1051 (9th

Cir. 2007); Rodriguez v. Cook, 169 F.3d 1176, 1177 (9th Cir. 1999). “Under the

PLRA [Prison Litigation Reform Act], all prisoners who file IFP civil actions must

pay the full amount of the filing fee,” regardless of whether their case is ultimately

dismissed. See Taylor v. Delatoore, 281 F.3d 844, 847 (9th Cir. 2002) (citing 28

U.S.C. § 1915(b)(1) & (2)).

In order to comply with the PLRA, 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 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). 

1 In addition to the $350 statutory fee, all parties filing civil actions on or after May 1, 2013, must pay an additional administrative fee of $50. See 28 U.S.C. § 1914(a)

(Judicial Conference Schedule of Fees, District Court Misc. Fee Schedule) (eff. May 1, 2013). However, the additional $50 administrative fee is waived if the plaintiff is granted leave to proceed IFP. Id.

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While Plaintiff has filed a Motion to Proceed IFP pursuant to 28 U.S.C.

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

or KVSP’s institutional certificate of funds or its equivalent, 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 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 the reasons set forth above, IT IS ORDERED that:

(1) Plaintiff’s Motion to Proceed IFP [Doc. No. 2] is DENIED and the

action is DISMISSED without prejudice for failure to prepay the $400 filing fee

mandated by 28 U.S.C. § 1914(a).

(2) Plaintiff is GRANTED an additional forty-five (45) days from the date

of this Order to either: (1) pay the entire $400 statutory and administrative 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).2

 

2

 Plaintiff is cautioned that if he chooses to proceed further by either pre-paying the full $400 civil filing fee, or submitting a properly supported Motion to Proceed IFP, his Complaint will be screened prior to service upon any defendant and may be dismissed pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915A(b) and 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2)(B) regardless of whether he pays or is obligated to pay filing fees. See Lopez v. Smith, 203 F.3d 1122, 1126-27

(9th Cir. 2000) (en banc) (noting that 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e) “not only permits but requires” the court to sua sponte dismiss an in forma pauperis complaint that is frivolous, malicious, fails to state a claim, or seeks damages from defendants who are immune); see

also Rhodes v. Robinson, 621 F.3d 1002, 1004 (9th Cir. 2010) (discussing similar

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The Clerk of the Court is further DIRECTED to provide Plaintiff with the

Court’s approved form “Motion and Declaration in Support of Motion to Proceed

IFP” for Plaintiff’s use if he wishes to proceed further. 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 civil action will remained dismissed without prejudice pursuant to 28 U.S.C.

§ 1915(a) and without further action by the Court.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

DATED: August 20, 2014

Hon. Michael M. Anello

United States District Judge

screening required by 28 U.S.C. § 1915A of all complaints filed by prisoners “seeking redress from a governmental entity or officer or employee of a governmental entity.”). 

Because Plaintiff’s Complaint includes allegations of inadequate medical treatment, he is cautioned that prison officials violate the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition of cruel and

unusual punishments only if they are deliberately indifferent to his serious medical needs. 

Estelle v. Gamble, 429 U.S. 97, 106 (1976). The indifference must be substantial; inadequate treatment due to malpractice, or even gross negligence, does not amount to

a constitutional violation. Id. at 106; Toguchi v. Chung, 391 F.3d 1051, 1060 (9th Cir. 2004) (“Deliberate indifference is a high legal standard.”). 

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