Source: https://docs.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/new-jersey/njdce/3:2017cv13387/363379/3
Timestamp: 2019-01-19 12:50:59
Document Index: 187663056

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 1983', '§ 1915', '§ 1915', '§ 1915', '§ 1915', '§ 1915', '§ 1915', '§ 1915']

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER that Plaintiff's application to proceed in forma pauperis is denied without prejudice for SOUTH v. NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS et al :: Justia Dockets & Filings
Justia Dockets & Filings Third Circuit New Jersey New Jersey District Court SOUTH v. NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS et al Filing 3
SOUTH v. NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS et al
MEMORANDUM AND ORDER that Plaintiff's application to proceed in forma pauperis is denied without prejudice. The Clerk of the Court shall administratively terminate this case. The Clerk of the Court shall send Plaintiff a blank form application t o proceed in forma pauperis for prisoners seeking IFP status. If Plaintiff wishes to reopen this case, he shall notify the Court within 30 days of the date of entry of this Order. The Clerk of the Court shall serve a copy of this Order upon Plaintiff by regular U.S. mail. Signed by Judge Freda L. Wolfson on 1/8/2018. (mps)
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT DISTRICT OF NEW JERSEY JEREMY D. SOUTH, Civil Action No. 17-13387(FLW) Plaintiff, v. MEMORANDUM AND ORDER NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS, et al., Defendants. This matter has been opened to the Court by Plaintiff’s filing of a Complaint pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and an application to proceed in forma pauperis (“IFP application”). The Court previously denied without prejudice Plaintiff’s IFP application, and Plaintiff has resubmitted the IFP application. (ECF Nos. 1, 1-2.) The Prison Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the “Act”), which amends 28 U.S.C. § 1915, establishes certain financial requirements for prisoners who are attempting to bring a civil action in forma pauperis. Under the Act, a prisoner bringing a civil action in forma pauperis must submit an affidavit, including a statement of all assets, which states that the prisoner is unable to pay the fee. 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(1). The prisoner also must submit a certified copy of his inmate trust fund account statement for the six-month period immediately preceding the filing of his complaint. 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(2). The prisoner must obtain this statement from the appropriate official of each prison at which he was or is confined. Id. The entire fee to be paid in advance of filing a civil complaint is $400. That fee includes a filing fee of $350 plus an administrative fee of $50, for a total of $400. A prisoner who is granted in forma pauperis status will, instead, be assessed a filing fee of $350 and will not be 1 responsible for the $50 administrative fee. If in forma pauperis status is denied, the prisoner must pay the full $400, including the $350 filing fee and the $50 administrative fee, before the complaint will be filed. If the prisoner is granted in forma pauperis status, the prisoner must pay the full amount of the $350 filing fee as follows. 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(1). In each month that the amount in the prisoner’s account exceeds $10.00, until the $350.00 filing fee is paid, the agency having custody of the prisoner shall assess, deduct from the prisoner’s account, and forward to the Clerk of the Court, payment equal to 20% of the preceding month’s income credited to the prisoner’s account. 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(2). Plaintiff may not have known when he submitted his complaint that he must pay the filing fee, and that even if the full filing fee, or any part of it, has been paid, the Court must dismiss the case if it finds that the action is: (1) frivolous or malicious; (2) fails to state a claim upon which relief may be granted; or (3) seeks monetary relief against a defendant who is immune from such relief. 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2)(B). If the Court dismisses the case for any of these reasons, the Act does not permit the prisoner to get his filing fee back. If the prisoner has, on three or more prior occasions while incarcerated, brought an action or appeal in a court that was dismissed on any of the grounds listed above, he cannot bring another action in forma pauperis unless he is in imminent danger of serious physical injury. 28 U.S.C. § 1915(g). In this action, Plaintiff has submitted an IFP application with a certified account statement; however, the statement does not cover the six-month period immediately preceding the filing of the Complaint. Instead, the statement covers the period from March 22, 2017 to September 14, 2017. The Complaint, however, is dated November 10, 2017, and was stamped 2 received by the Court on December 20, 2017. For these reasons, the Court will deny without prejudice Plaintiff’s IFP application and direct the Clerk of the Court to send Plaintiff the form to be used by prisoners seeking IFP status. If Plaintiff chooses to proceed with this action, he must fill out the IFP form completely and submit a certified six-month account statement for the six month period immediately preceding the submission of his Complaint to prison officials for filing. THEREFORE, it is on this 8th day of January, 2018; ORDERED that Plaintiff’s application to proceed in forma pauperis is hereby DENIED WITHOUT PREJUDICE; and it is further ORDERED that the Clerk of the Court shall ADMINISTRATIVELY TERMINATE this case, without filing the complaint or assessing a filing fee; Plaintiff is informed that administrative termination is not a “dismissal” for purposes of the statute of limitations, and that if the case is reopened, it is not subject to the statute of limitations time bar if it was originally filed timely, see Jenkins v. Superintendent of Laurel Highlands, 705 F.3d 80, 84 n.2 (3d Cir. 2013) (describing prisoner mailbox rule generally); Dasilva v. Sheriff's Dept., 413 F. App’x. 498, 502 (3d Cir. 2011) (“[The] statute of limitations is met when a complaint is submitted to the clerk before the statute runs ….”); and it is further ORDERED that the Clerk of the Court shall send Plaintiff a blank form application to proceed in forma pauperis for prisoners seeking IFP status; and it is further ORDERED that if Plaintiff wishes to reopen this case, he shall so notify the Court, in writing addressed to the Clerk of the Court, Clarkson S. Fisher Building & U.S. Courthouse, 402 East State Street, Trenton, NJ 08608, within 30 days of the date of entry of this Order; Plaintiff’s writing shall include either (1) a complete, signed in forma pauperis application, 3 including a certified six-month prison account statement, or (2) the $400 fee including the $350 filing fee plus the $50 administrative fee; and it is further ORDERED that upon receipt of a writing from Plaintiff stating that he wishes to reopen this case, and either a complete in forma pauperis application or payment of the filing and administrative fees within the time allotted by this Court, the Clerk of the Court will be directed to reopen this case; and it is finally ORDERED that the Clerk of the Court shall serve a copy of this Order upon Plaintiff by regular U.S. mail. /s/ Freda L. Wolfson Freda L. Wolfson United States District Judge 4