IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA

GAINESVILLE DIVISION

RONNIE DYSON,

Plaintiff,

vs. Case No: 1:11-cv-135-SPM-GRJ

REGIONS BANK, et al., 

Defendants.

_______________________________/

ORDER

This matter is before the Court on Plaintiff’s complaint. (Doc. 1.) Plaintiff also

filed a motion to proceed in forma pauperis along with the required financial affidavit. 

(Doc. 2.) The Court has reviewed the financial affidavit and finds the Plaintiff is unable

to pay the costs of this action pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a) and therefore leave to

proceed in forma pauperis is due to be granted for the limited purpose of reviewing the

sufficiency of Plaintiff’s Complaint. 

Plaintiff filed his Complaint on the Court’s civil rights complaint form for use by

pro se, non prisoner litigants in actions under 28 U.S.C. § 1331 or § 1346 or 42 U.S.C.

§ 1983. Plaintiff seeks to bring claims against several branches and affiliates of

Regions Bank, several credit reporting bureaus, the United States Attorney General and

Federal Trade Commission. Plaintiff alleges Regions Bank is responsible for protecting

the civil rights of consumer and protecting consumers from identity theft, false

advertising, and fraud. Plaintiff complains Regions Bank, its employees and affiliates

have stolen this information from consumers and given it to unnamed third parties in

violation of its own privacy policies. Plaintiff also includes more generalized grievances

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against the banking system in the United States, complains about discrimination against

the middle class and poor in the United States and complains about their role in

causing the 2008 financial crisis. Plaintiff seeks compensatory damages and punitive

damages for violations of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities

Act, the Fair Housing Act, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 and a

number of other federal laws and statutes.

Plaintiff’s complaint is deficient because other than referencing general

statements and referencing multiple federal statutes, Plaintiff fails to include any facts

or provide any suggestion of the conduct engaged in by each Defendant which

allegedly supports a claim under federal law. However, because Plaintiff is proceeding

pro se the Court will give Plaintiff a chance to amend his Complaint. In his amended

complaint Plaintiff must allege facts supporting his claims and describe the specific

conduct of each defendant which forms the basis of his claims under federal law.

Disjointed and generalized statements without reference to specific facts and without

reference to a particular defendant are wholly insufficient to state a cause of action. 

Moreover, in order to demonstrate the Plaintiff has standing to bring the claims,

the conduct about which Plaintiff claims must relate to the Plaintiff and not the public in

general. Plaintiff must have suffered an “injury in fact,” that is, “an invasion of a legally

protected interest which is .... concrete and particularized” in order to have standing to

bring a suit in federal court. Lujan v. Defenders of Wildlife, 504 U.S. 555, 560 (1992). 

Accordingly, Plaintiff should take care to describe the specific conduct of each

Defendant that Plaintiff contends violated his personal rights under either the

Constitution or a federal statute and describe the injury he suffered as a result of the

conduct by the Defendants. Simply put, in its current formulation, the Complaint gives

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no hint as to the factual or legal basis of any claims. Plaintiff should also take care to list

only those Defendants in his Amended Complaint who had some sort of connection to a

violation of his rights.

The Court will give Plaintiff an opportunity to amend his complaint consistent with

the guidance provided in this order. To amend his complaint, Plaintiff must fill out the

civil rights complaint form, marking it “First Amended Complaint.” Plaintiff is advised

that the amended complaint must contain all of Plaintiff’s factual allegations set forth in

separately numbered paragraphs and should not in any way refer to the original

Complaint. 

Accordingly, it is hereby ORDERED:

(1) The Clerk is directed to send Plaintiff a blank copy of the Court’s civil

rights complaint form for non-prisoners and instructions. 

(2) Plaintiff shall fully complete the complaint form. In amending his

Complaint, Plaintiff shall not refer back to the original Complaint or

incorporate any part of the original Complaint by reference. Plaintiff shall

file the amended complaint, together with an identical copy of the

amended complaint for each Defendant, on or before November 18,

2011.

(3) Leave to proceed in forma pauperis is hereby GRANTED for the limited

purpose of reviewing the complaint and amended complaint.

(4) Failure to comply with this order within the allotted time, or to show cause

why Plaintiff is unable to comply, will result in a recommendation to the

district judge that this case be dismissed without further notice for failure

to prosecute and failure to obey a Court directive.

DONE AND ORDERED this 31 day of October 2011. 

st

s/Gary R. Jones 

GARY R. JONES

United States Magistrate Judge

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