Opinion ID: 734158
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Prisoner Pauper Documents

Text: 3 If the inmate files a complaint and seeks pauper status, the prisoner must file either Form 4 from the Appendix of Forms found in the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure, or an affidavit which contains the identical information requested in Form 4. Although Form 4 does not satisfy the exact requirements of the statute, proposed amendments necessary to bring the Form into compliance with the Act are awaiting final approval. For administrative expediency, the present Form 4 will suffice for pauper requests. In addition to the affidavit, the prisoner must file a certified copy of a prison trust account statement showing the activity in the inmate's prison account for the previous six months. 28 U.S.C.A. § 1915(a)(2). By filing the complaint, the prisoner waives any objection to the fee assessment by the district court. Furthermore, the prisoner waives any objection to the withdrawal of funds from the trust account by prison officials to pay the prisoner's court fees and costs. Prisoners have a duty to cooperate during the litigation. Ballard v. Burrage, 97 F.3d 382, 383 (10th Cir.1996) (order). Payment of litigation expenses is the prisoner's responsibility. Once the complaint, affidavit of indigency, and trust account statement have been filed, the district court must issue the fee assessment as required under Section III and conduct the screening procedure set forth in Section IV.
4 If an inmate not paying the full filing fee fails to provide an affidavit of indigency or trust account statement, the district court shall notify the prisoner of the deficiency and the prisoner shall have thirty (30) days from the date of the deficiency order to correct the error or pay the full filing fee. If the prisoner does not comply with the district court's directions, the district court shall presume that the prisoner is not a pauper, and assess the inmate the full amount of fees. The district court must then order the case dismissed for want of prosecution. If the case is dismissed under these circumstances, it will not be reinstated to the district court's active docket despite the payment of filing fees.
5 A prisoner may seek leave to extend the thirty (30) day time period to correct any filing deficiency regarding pauper status. The district court may, in its discretion, grant such an extension for up to thirty (30) days as long as the inmate files the extension motion within thirty (30) days after the district court files the order of deficiency. The extension motion must be filed within thirty (30) days of the order; otherwise the motion may not be granted unless the prisoner makes an affirmative showing that he or she did not receive the deficiency order within the thirty (30) days. If such a showing is made in a notarized statement or a declaration complying with 28 U.S.C. § 1746 and setting forth the date the inmate received the notice, then the district court may, in its discretion, grant an additional thirty (30) days from the date of the filing of the extension order to allow the prisoner to correct the deficiency. The extension motion is deemed filed when the inmate gives the document to prison officials to be mailed. See Houston v. Lack, 487 U.S. 266, 270, 108 S.Ct. 2379, 2382, 101 L.Ed.2d 245 (1988). When the inmate places the motion in the prison mail system, the inmate must provide a notarized statement or declaration with the motion complying with 28 U.S.C. § 1746, setting forth the date of deposit, and stating that first class postage was prepaid. This declaration assures the court that the documents were timely given to prison officials.
6 If the prisoner is without any financial resources as evidenced by the affidavit of indigency and trust account statement, under § 1915(b)(4) the district court must allow the case to proceed to the screening process. Although the statute permits a prisoner to avoid even partial payment of the filing fee at the commencement of the action, the district court is still required to impose an initial partial filing fee under § 1915(b)(1) and, when funds become available, the prisoner must pay the initial partial filing fee. The statute does not relieve the prisoner from paying the initial partial filing fee. The payment is simply delayed until funds become available. 7 Even if the account is under ten dollars ($10), prison officials must still forward payments to the district court to pay the initial filing fee. The ten dollar ($10) rule of § 1915(b)(2) is applicable to fees and costs due only after the initial filing fee is paid. Once the initial filing fee is paid in full, the ten dollar ($10) and twenty percent (20%) requirements of § 1915(b)(2) become applicable. This process will prevent the problem of inmates keeping only minimum balances in their prison accounts to avoid paying any portion of the filing fee. The payments must be made even if the final judgment and appeal occurred several years before the deposit of funds.