Bell v. Nativity Homeless Shelter

• Court: District Court, District of Columbia
• Decided: May 6, 2009
• Docket: Civil Action No. 2009-0827
• Status: Published

Opinion

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FILED

MAY ' 5 2009 UNITED sTATEs DISTRICT CoURT C'°"<» U-S- D*Sffi€f and FoR THE DISTRICT oF CQLUMBIA Ba“"'""t°y C°“"S KAREEMAH BELL, Plaintiff, v. Civil Action No.

NATIVITY, et al.,

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Defendants.

MEMORANDUM OPINION

This matter comes before the court on review of plaintiff s application to proceed in forma pauperis and pro se civil complaint. The court will grant the application, and dismiss the complaint.

The Court has reviewed plaintiff’ s complaint, keeping in mind that a complaint filed by a pro se litigant is held to a less stringent standard than is applied to a formal pleading drafted by a lawyer. See Haines v. Kerner, 404 U.S. 5l9, 520 (1972). Even pro se litigants, however, must comply with the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Jarrell v. Tisch, 656 F. Supp. 237, 239 (D.D.C. 1987). Rule S(a) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure requires that a complaint contain a short and plain statement of the grounds upon which the court’s jurisdiction depends, a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief, and a demand for judgment for the relief the pleader seeks. Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a). The purpose of the minimum standard of Rule 8 is to give fair notice to the defendants of the claim being asserted, sufficient to prepare a responsive answer, to prepare an adequate defense and to determine whether the doctrine of res judicata applies. Brown v. Calzfano, 75 F.R.D. 497, 498 (D.D.C. l977).

Plaintiff alleges that the woman with whom she shared a room at a homeless shelter

"decided to toss all of [her] paperwork out of the second floor window." Compl. at 1. She states that she filed a complaint with the Metropolitan Police Department and that the crime would be considered destruction of property. Ia’. at 2. The complaint sets forth neither a short and plain statement of this court’s jurisdiction, a short and plain statement showing plaintiff’ s entitlement to relief nor a demand for any particular relief, For these reasons, the complaint will be dismissed without prejudice for its failure to comply with Rule 8(a).

An Order consistent with this Memorandum Opinion is issued separately.

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Unité{l States District Judge

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