Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca10-90-03090/USCOURTS-ca10-90-03090-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Dwayne Keith Jefferson
Appellant
Bryan L. Teates
Appellee
Gordon N. Zelez
Appellee

Document Text:

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS 

TENTH CIRCUIT 

DWAYNE KEITH JEFFERSON, ) 

) 

Plaintiff-Appellant, ) 

FILED 

United States Court of Appeals 

Tenth Circuit 

AUG 2 7 1990 

ROBERT L. HOECKER 

Clerk 

) 

V • ) 

) 

GORDON N. ZELEZ; BRYAN L. TEATES, ) 

) 

No. 90-3090 

(D.C. No. 88-3199-0) 

(D. Kan.) 

Defendants-Appellees. ) 

ORDER AND JUDGMENT* 

Before LOGAN, SEYMOUR, and TACHA, Circuit Judges. 

After examining the briefs and appellate record, this panel 

has determined unanimously that oral argument would not materially 

assist the determination of this appeal. See Fed. R. App. P. 

34(a); 10th Cir. R. 34.1.9. The cause is therefore ordered 

submitted without oral argument. 

Plaintiff Dwayne Keith Jefferson appeals the dismissal of his 

complaint for failure to exhaust administrative remedies. He has 

filed a motion for leave to proceed on appeal without prepayment 

of costs or fees. 

*This order and judgment has no precedential value and shall not 

be cited, or used by any court within the Tenth Circuit, except 

for purposes of establishing the doctrines of the law of the case, 

res judicata, or collateral estoppel. 10th Cir. R. 36.3. 

Appellate Case: 90-3090 Document: 010110041585 Date Filed: 08/27/1990 Page: 1 
J -

Plaintiff filed this action to challenge the Department of 

the Army's refusal to release under the Freedom of Information Act 

(FOIA) all of the records relating to plaintiff's court marshal 

conviction for murder of a German civilian. Plaintiff has filed 

numerous FOIA requests for the same material. Although plaintiff 

apparently appealed the partial denial of one of his FOIA 

requests, he failed to appeal the denial of his subsequent 

requests. The general rule is that an FOIA petitioner must 

exhaust administrative remedies before seeking judicial relief. 

See 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(6)(C). Plaintiff argues on appeal that he 

should be relieved of this requirement because he has been 

threatened with disciplinary action if he files additional FOIA 

requests. See Memorandum dated April 27, 1988. This argument is 

frivolous. Plaintiff has repeatedly filed successive requests to 

the Army Crime Records Center without appealing the denials to the 

Office of General Counsel. A threat to discipline him for further 

FOIA requests to the CRC for the same records is not the same as a 

threat to discipline him for appealing the denials, which is the 

remedy plaintiff is required to exhaust. 

The motion to proceed on appeal in forma pauperis is denied. 

The fee on appeal is waived, and the judgment of the district 

court is AFFIRMED. The mandate shall issue forthwith . 

Entered for the Court 

Stephanie K. Seymour 

Circuit Judge 

Appellate Case: 90-3090 Document: 010110041585 Date Filed: 08/27/1990 Page: 2