Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-casd-3_17-cv-01062/USCOURTS-casd-3_17-cv-01062-0/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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8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

9 SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

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11 TONY LEMONT SIMS, JR. Case No.: 3:17-cv-01062-BEN-NLS

12 Plaintiff,

ORDER DENYING MOTION TO

PROCEED IN FORMA PAUPERIS

AND DISMISSING ACTION

WITHOUT PREJUDICE

13 v.

CHIEF EL CAJON POLICE; MTS

SECURITY,

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Defendants.

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Tony Lemont Sims, Jr. (“Plaintiff’), currently housed at the George Bailey

Detention Facility located in San Diego, California, and proceeding pro se, has filed a

civil rights complaint (“Compl.”) pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. (Docket No. 1.)

Plaintiffhas not prepaid the civil filing fee required by 28 U.S.C. § 1914(a); instead, he

filed a Motion to Proceed In Forma Pauperis (“IFP”) pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a).

(Docket No. 2.)

Motion to Proceed IFP

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

United States, except an application for writ ofhabeas 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 plaintiffs failure to

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

§ 1915(a). See Rodriguez v. Cook, 169F.3d 1176, 1177 (9th Cir. 1999). However, ifthe

plaintiffis a prisoner at the time offiling, he may be granted leave to proceed IFP, but he

nevertheless remains obligated to pay the entire fee in “increments,” see Williams v.

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

ultimately dismissed. See 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(1) & (2); Taylor v. Delatoore, 281 F.3d

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

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

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

conditions ofparole, probation, pretrial release, or diversionary program.” 28 U.S.C.

§ 1915(h); Taylor, 281 F.3d at 847.

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

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

equivalent)... for the 6-month period immediately preceding the filing ofthe 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

ofthe prisoner collects subsequent payments, assessed at 20% ofthe 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 Plaintiffhas filed a Motion to Proceed IFP pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a),

he has not attached a certified copy ofhis trust account statements, or an institutional

equivalent, for the 6-month period immediately preceding the filing ofhis 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 offees ... shall submit

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

6-month period immediately preceding the filing ofthe complaint.” 28 U.S.C.

§ 1915(a)(2) (emphasis added).

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

immediately preceding the filing ofthis action, the Court is simply unable to assess the

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

prosecution ofthis action. See 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(1).

II. Conclusion and Order

For these reasons, IT IS ORDERED that:

(1) Plaintiffs 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) Plaintiffis GRANTED forty-five (45) days from the date ofthis 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 ofthe Court is DIRECTED to provide Plaintiffwith a Court1

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approved form “Motion and Declaration in Support ofMotion to Proceed IFP” in this

matter. IfPlaintiffneither pays the $400 filing fee in full nor sufficiently completes and

files the attached Motion to Proceed IFP, together with a certified copy ofhis trust

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

der ofthe Court.

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23 pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1914(a), and without furthej

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25 DATED: May 2017

spcf. BENITEZ

;es District Judge

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