Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_15-cv-01167/USCOURTS-cand-3_15-cv-01167-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 440
Nature of Suit: Other Civil Rights
Cause of Action: 28:1331 Federal Question: Other Civil Rights

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United States District Court

Northern District of California

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

Q. M., et al.,

Plaintiffs,

v.

SAN MATEO SUPERIOR COURT OF 

CALIFORNIA,

Defendant.

Case No. 15-cv-01167-JCS 

ORDER TO RETAIN COUNSEL

Plaintiff in this action is the 12-year-old minor son of Jeremiah F. Manning, who has 

brought this action on his son’s behalf, seeking to proceed pro se. “[A] parent or guardian cannot 

bring an action on behalf of a minor child without retaining a lawyer.” Johns v. Cnty. of San 

Diego, 114 F.3d 874, 877 (9th Cir.1997). In Johns, the Ninth Circuit explained that when a parent 

improperly attempts to assert a child’s claim pro se, the claim should be dismissed without 

prejudice, because the parent’s procedural missteps should not serve to extinguish the child’s legal 

rights. Id. Therefore, Mr. Manning must retain counsel to represent his son in order to proceed 

with the claims asserted in this action. Counsel for Plaintiff shall file a Notice of Appearance in 

this case no later than June 12, 2015, the date of the initial case management conference, and shall 

appear with Mr. Manning at the case management conference. Failure to retain counsel to 

represent Q.M. will result in dismissal of the action without prejudice.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: March 31, 2015

______________________________________

JOSEPH C. SPERO

United States Magistrate Judge

Case 3:15-cv-01167-JD Document 4 Filed 03/31/15 Page 1 of 1