Dewitt v. District of Columbia

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

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CHRISTOPHER DEWITT, )

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Plaintiff, )

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v. ) Civil Action No. 1:23-cv-02738 (UNA)

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DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, et al., )

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Defendants. )

___________________________________ )

MEMORANDUM OPINION

Currently before the Court is Plaintiff’s pro se complaint, ECF No. 1, and application for leave to proceed in forma pauperis (“IFP”), ECF No. 2. The Court will grant Plaintiff’s IFP application and, for the reasons explained herein, it will dismiss this matter without prejudice.

Plaintiff sues the District of Columbia, the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department’s 7th Precinct, and D.C. Police Commander John Branch. He purports to bring this case pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983, and broadly seeks damages for “inhumane treatment and aggravated circumstances while in custody of [the] 7th precinct.” The remainder of the complaint is left largely blank, with no facts, context, or details necessary to state, or even so much as infer, a legal claim.

Pro se litigants must comply with the Rules of Civil Procedure. Jarrell v. Tisch, 656 F.

Supp. 237, 239 (D.D.C. 1987). Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 8(a) requires a complaint to contain “(1) a short and plain statement of the grounds for the court’s jurisdiction [and] . . . (2) a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a); see Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678-79 (2009). The Rule 8 standard ensures that defendants receive fair notice of the claim being asserted so that they can prepare a responsive answer and an adequate defense. Brown v. Califano, 75 F.R.D. 497, 498 (D.D.C. 1977). Here, as presented, neither the Court nor Defendants can reasonably be expected to identify Plaintiff’s claims, and the allegations fall well short of stating a plausible claim.

For these reasons, this case is dismissed without prejudice. A separate order accompanies this memorandum opinion.

Date: November 27, 2023 /s/_________________________ ANA C. REYES

United States District Judge