Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-casd-3_15-cv-01800/USCOURTS-casd-3_15-cv-01800-0/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

GARY E. KING,

Inmate Booking No. 14740027,

Civil No. 15cv1800 BEN (DHB)

Plaintiff,

ORDER DENYING MOTION TO

PROCEED IN FORMA PAUPERIS

PURSUANT TO 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)

AND DISMISSING CIVIL ACTION

WITHOUT PREJUDICE FOR

FAILING TO PREPAY FILING

FEES REQUIRED BY

28 U.S.C. § 1914(a) 

(Doc. No. 2)

 vs.

HALL OF JUSTICE,

Defendant.

 

Gary King (“Plaintiff”), currently housed in the San Diego Central Jail located in

San Diego, California, and proceeding pro se, has filed a civil rights complaint

(“Compl.”) pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Doc. 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) (Doc. No. 2).

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

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

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only if that 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 the action is ultimately dismissed for any reason. 

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 pastsix 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). 

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 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. CIVLR 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

In addition to the $350 statutory fee, all parties filing civil actions on or after 1

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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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 these reasons, 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 required by 28

U.S.C. § 1914(a).

(2) Plaintiff is GRANTED forty-five (45) 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. CIVLR 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.

DATED: August 21, 2015

Hon. Roger T. Benitez

United States District Judge

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