Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_05-cv-01322/USCOURTS-caed-2_05-cv-01322-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Tony Campbell
Plaintiff
M. Pennen
Defendant

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United States District Court

Eastern District of California

Tony Campbell,

Plaintiff, No. Civ. S 05-1322 DFL PAN P

vs. Order

M. Pennen,

Defendant.

-oOoPlaintiff seeks leave to proceed in forma pauperis upon a

civil rights complaint against. 

28 U.S.C. § 1915(g) provides that “[i]n no event shall a

prisoner bring a civil action or appeal a judgment in a civil

action or proceeding under this section if the prisoner has, on 3

or more prior occasions, while incarcerated or detained in any

facility, brought an action or appeal in a court of the United

States that was dismissed on the grounds that it is frivolous,

malicious, or fails to state a claim upon which relief may be

Case 2:05-cv-01322-DFL-PAN Document 4 Filed 11/18/05 Page 1 of 3
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granted, unless the prisoner is under imminent danger of serious

physical injury.”

The court’s files and records show that plaintiff has

brought 43 civil actions and that at least three have been

dismissed for failure to state a claim: (1) Campbell v. Butts,

No. Civ. F 98-6483 AWI SMS (2) Campbell v. Randalph, No. Civ. F

99-5462 REC HGB; and (3) Campbell v. Baughman, No. Civ. S 05-0066

MCE DAD.

Section 1915(g) speaks in terms of barring a prisoner from

“bringing” a civil action when on three “prior occasions” an

action or appeal has been dismissed as frivolous, malicious or

for failure to state a claim. Section 1915(a)(1) requires

plaintiff seek an order authorizing “commencement” of a suit in

forma pauperis. “Bringing” and “commencing” suit are the same

thing. Black’s Law Dictionary, Rev’d. 4th ed. (1968) p. 335 (“To

‘bring’ a suit is an equivalent term; an action is ‘commenced’

when it is ‘brought’ and vice versa.”) As the court has never

authorized plaintiff to “commence” this action, I find the three

dismissals identified above preceded bringing this action and it

is barred by section 1915(g) unless plaintiff shows he is under

imminent danger of serious physical injury. (I observe that any

other construction would reward the most litigious prisoner who

might successfully impose any number of malicious suits on a

district court the same day without paying any filing fee.) 

Within 20 days, plaintiff may seek to show that the facts

alleged in his putative complaint place him “under imminent 

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danger of serious physical injury.” Otherwise, I will recommend

the complaint be dismissed pursuant to section 1915(g).

So ordered.

Dated: November 17, 2005. 

 /s/ Peter A. Nowinski 

 PETER A. NOWINSKI

 Magistrate Judge

Case 2:05-cv-01322-DFL-PAN Document 4 Filed 11/18/05 Page 3 of 3