Court Opinion

ID: 2963864
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2015-09-21 21:16:25.063473+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T11:42:47.320256
License: Public Domain

USCA1 Opinion

	

          February 7, 1996
                                [NOT FOR PUBLICATION]
                            UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
                                FOR THE FIRST CIRCUIT

           

                                 ____________________

        No. 95-1839

                                 EMIL PRESCOTT DILL,

                                Plaintiff, Appellant,

                                          v.

                          UNIVERSITY OF MAINE AT FARMINGTON,

                                 Defendant, Appellee.

                                 ____________________

                     APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

                              FOR THE DISTRICT OF MAINE

                     [Hon. Morton A. Brody, U.S. District Judge]
                                            ___________________

                                 ____________________

                                        Before

                               Torruella, Chief Judge, 
                                          ___________
                          Boudin and Stahl, Circuit Judges.
                                            ______________

                                 ____________________

            Emil Prescott Dill on brief pro se.
            __________________
            Vendean V. Vafiades and Nina R. Lavoie on brief for appellee.
            ___________________     ______________

                                 ____________________

                                 ____________________

                      Per  Curiam.       The  district  court   dismissed
                      ___________

            plaintiff-appellant's complaint for declaratory  relief under

            42  U.S.C.   1983, because plaintiff failed to allege a civil

            rights  violation in  the  defendant's refusal  to certify  a

            transcript of his college course work after he defaulted on a

            student loan.  Plaintiff offers no reasoned support for his  

            1983 claim in this  court.  Issues raised, but  not supported

            in an  appellant's  brief are  deemed  abandoned.   Brown  v.
                                                                _____

            Trustees of Boston Univ., 891 F.2d 337, 352 (1st Cir. 1989).
            ________________________

                      Plaintiff now  theorizes that  he is entitled  to a

            certified  transcript   by  virtue  of  Chapter   13  of  the

            Bankruptcy  Code.  He states that he has filed for bankruptcy

            protection  in  a  district  court in  Pennsylvania.1    This
                                                                1

            claim, and a  vague statutory debt collection  claim which he

            also  raises for the first  time on appeal,  are not properly

            before  us because they were not presented below.  See United
                                                               ___ ______

            States  v. La Guardia, 902  F.2d 1010, 1013  (1st Cir. 1990).
            ______     __________

            The proper  forum for a  debtor seeking relief  in bankruptcy

            generally is in  the district  court where  his petition  has

            been filed.  See 28 U.S.C.    1334(a)(e).   
                         ___

                      The judgment below is affirmed. 
                                            ________

                                
            ____________________

               1  Appellant does not seek a stay of this appeal and it is
               1
            not subject to an automatic stay under 11 U.S.C.   362,
            because the action was filed by, rather than against, the
            debtor.  See Alpern v. Lieb, 11 F.3d 689, 690 (7th Cir.
                     ___ ______    ____
            1993).       

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