Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca10-07-01385/USCOURTS-ca10-07-01385-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Eric Adams
Appellant
R. Wiley
Appellee

Document Text:

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT

ERIC ADAMS,

 Plaintiff - Appellant,

v.

R. WILEY,

 Defendant - Appellee.

No. 07-1385

(D.C. No. 07-cv-01357-BNB)

ORDER

Filed September 24, 2007

Before BRISCOE, MURPHY and GORSUCH, Circuit Judges.

Eric Adams, a federal prisoner, filed a complaint in the Colorado U.S. District

Court. The complaint fashioned itself as a habeas application under 28 U.S.C. § 2241. 

However, the requested relief was that the Bureau of Prisons be enjoined from interfering

with Mr. Adams’ subscription to a magazine called American Curves.

The magistrate judge who reviewed the case determined that the case did not seek

relief available under § 2241 and was in fact a civil rights action. The magistrate judge

ordered Mr. Adams to fill out and file a proper civil complaint form and a motion seeking

leave to proceed pursuant to 28 U.S.C.§ 1915 within 30 days or the action would be

dismissed. 

Appellate Case: 07-1385 Document: 010138291 Date Filed: 09/24/2007 Page: 1
2

In response, Mr. Adams filed a document captioned as seeking relief pursuant to

Fed. R. Civ. P. 60(b). The basic intent of the document was to challenge the magistrate

judge’s construction of the complaint. 

The district court judge construed the document as an objection to the magistrate

judge’s order and overruled it. The district court gave Mr. Adams ten additional days to

comply with the magistrate’s order and again threatened to dismiss the case if Mr. Adams

did not comply. 

Rather than comply, Mr. Adams filed a notice of appeal. Preliminary documents

were transmitted to this court and an appellate docket was opened.

Neither the magistrate’s order nor the district court’s order being appealed

constitute a final judgment, nor does this situation present any of the limited exceptions to

finality as a prerequisite to an appeal. See, e.g., Westfall v. U.S. District Court, 31 Fed.

App’x 634 (10th Cir. 2002) (appeals from orders to cure pleading deficiencies are clearly

non-final). We lack appellate jurisdiction and this appeal is accordingly dismissed. 

Entered for the Court

ELISABETH A. SHUMAKER

Clerk of Court

by:

Douglas E. Cressler

Chief Deputy Clerk

Appellate Case: 07-1385 Document: 010138291 Date Filed: 09/24/2007 Page: 2