Dr. Mickey Socrates Ferdynand v. USA Department of Justice
- Proceeding
- district
- Area
- civil
- Panel
- Gonzalo P. Curiel (author)
Analysis
The court reviewed a civil action filed without the required filing fee or a motion to proceed in forma pauperis. The court dismissed the action without prejudice and granted the plaintiff thirty days to pay the fee or file a proper IFP motion.
| What the court decided | The model |
|---|---|
Dismissal of the action without prejudice for failure to pay the filing fee or file a motion to proceed in forma pauperis.“DISMISSES this action sua sponte without prejudice for failure to pay the $402 civil filing and administrative fee or to submit a Motion to Proceed IFP pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1914(a) and 1915(a)” | agree with court The dismissal is procedurally correct under 28 U.S.C. § 1914(a) and § 1915(a), which require payment of fees or a grant of IFP status before an action can proceed. The court provided a 30-day window to cure the deficiency, which is a standard and appropriate remedy. |
Granting of thirty days for the plaintiff to pay the fee or file a motion to proceed in forma pauperis.“GRANTS Plaintiff thirty (30) days leave from the date this Order is filed to either: (a) prepay the entire $402 civil filing and administrative fee in full; or (b) complete and file a Motion to Proceed IFP which includes a complete statement of his assets.” | agree with court Providing a specific timeframe to cure a procedural deficiency before final dismissal is consistent with local rules and general judicial practice to ensure due process. |
The order itself: sound — The order correctly identifies the statutory requirements for filing fees and IFP status. It cites the relevant statutes and Ninth Circuit precedent to support the dismissal without prejudice and the grant of time to cure. The reasoning is direct and legally sound for a procedural order.
Opinion
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 11 MICKEY SOCRATES FERDYNAND, Case No.: 3:21-cv-0208-GPC-JLB 12 Plaintiff, ORDER REGARDING FAILURE TO 13 v. PAY FILING FEE OR FILE MOTION TO PROCEED IN FORMA 14 USA DEPARTMENT OF STATE AND PAUPERIS USA DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, 15 Defendant. 16 17 Plaintiff filed this case on February 3, 2021. ECF No. 1. No filing fee has been 18 paid with respect to this case, and Plaintiff has not filed a motion for leave to proceed in 19 forma pauperis (“IFP”). 20 All parties instituting any civil action, suit, or proceeding in a district court of the 21 United States, except an application for writ of habeas corpus, must pay a filing fee of 22 $402. See 28 U.S.C. § 1914(a).1 An action may proceed despite a plaintiff’s failure to 23 prepay the entire fee only if he is granted leave to proceed IFP pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 24 25 26 1 In addition to the $350 statutory fee, civil litigants must pay an additional administrative fee of $52. 27 See 28 U.S.C. § 1914(a) (Judicial Conference Schedule of Fees, District Court Misc. Fee Schedule, § 14 (eff. Dec. 1, 2020). The additional $52 administrative fee does not apply to persons granted leave to 28 1 1915(a). See Andrews v. Cervantes, 493 F.3d 1047, 1051 (9th Cir. 2007); Rodriguez v. 2 || Cook, 169 F.3d 1176, 1177 (9th Cir. 1999). A Court may authorize the commencement 3 || of a suit without prepayment of fees if the plaintiff submits an affidavit, including a 4 ||statement of all of his or her assets, showing that he or she is unable to pay the fees. See 5 U.S.C. § 1915(a). Such an affidavit must include a complete statement of the 6 || plaintiff’s assets. See id.; Civ. L.R. 3.2(a). 7 Plaintiff has not prepaid the $402 in filing and administrative fees required to 8 ||commence this civil action, nor has he filed a properly supported Motion to Proceed IFP 9 || pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a). Therefore, his case cannot yet proceed. See 28 U.S.C. § 10 || 1914(a); Andrews, 493 F.3d at 1051. 11 Accordingly, the Court: 12 (1) DISMISSES this action sua sponte without prejudice for failure to pay the 13 $402 civil filing and administrative fee or to submit a Motion to Proceed IFP 14 pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1914(a) and 1915(a); and 15 (2) GRANTS Plaintiff thirty (30) days leave from the date this Order is filed to 16 either: (a) prepay the entire $402 civil filing and administrative fee in full; or 17 (b) complete and file a Motion to Proceed IFP which includes a complete 18 statement of his assets. See Civ. L.R. 3.2(a). 19 The Court further DIRECTS the Clerk of the Court to provide Plaintiff with the 20 || Court’s approved form “Motion and Declaration in Support of Motion to Proceed Jn 21 || Forma Pauperis.” If Plaintiff fails to either prepay the $402 civil filing fee or complete 22 submit the enclosed Motion to Proceed IFP within 30 days, this action will remain 23 || dismissed without prejudice based on Plaintiffs failure to satisfy 28 U.S.C. § 1914(a)’s 24 || fee requirements. 25 IT IS SO ORDERED. 26 Dated: February 8, 2021 2 27 Hon. athe Cae 28 United States District Judge