1 JL 2 WO 3 4 5 6 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 7 FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA 8 9 John Allen Green, No. CV-23-01763-PHX-JAT (ASB) 10 Plaintiff, 11 v. ORDER 12 Arizona Department of Corrections, et al., 13 Defendants.
14 15 On August 24, 2023, Plaintiff John Allen Green, who is confined in the Arizona 16 State Prison Complex-Lewis, filed a pro se “Writ of Habeas Corpus” (Doc. 1), which the 17 Clerk of Court docketed as a civil rights Complaint pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 to 18 facilitate its consideration. On September 11, 2023, Plaintiff filed an Application to 19 Proceed In Forma Pauperis (Habeas) (Doc. 4) and a Motion to Appoint Counsel (Doc. 6). 20 The Court will deny the deficient Application to Proceed and the Motion and will give 21 Plaintiff 30 days to (1) pay the filing and administrative fees or file a complete Application 22 to Proceed In Forma Pauperis and (2) file an amended complaint using the court-approved 23 form included with this Order. 24 I. Payment of Filing Fee 25 When bringing an action, a prisoner must either pay the $350.00 filing fee and a 26 $52.00 administrative fee in a lump sum or, if granted the privilege of proceeding in forma 27 pauperis, pay the $350.00 filing fee incrementally as set forth in 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(1). 28 An application to proceed in forma pauperis requires an affidavit of indigence and a 1 certified copy of the inmate’s trust account statement (or institutional equivalent) for the 2 six months preceding the filing of the Complaint. 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(2). An inmate must 3 submit statements from each institution where he was confined during the six-month 4 period. Id. To assist prisoners in meeting these requirements, the Court requires use of a 5 form application. LRCiv 3.4. 6 If a prisoner is granted leave to proceed in forma pauperis, the Court will assess an 7 initial partial filing fee of 20% of either the average monthly deposits or the average 8 monthly balance in Plaintiff’s account, whichever is greater. 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(1). An 9 initial partial filing fee will only be collected when funds exist. 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(4). 10 The balance of the $350.00 filing fee will be collected in monthly payments of 20% of the 11 preceding month’s income credited to an inmate’s account, each time the amount in the 12 account exceeds $10.00. 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(2). 13 II. Application Fails to Comply with Statute 14 Plaintiff has used the court-approved form for an Application to Proceed In Forma 15 Pauperis in a habeas corpus proceeding, rather than the court-approved form for an 16 Application to Proceed In Forma Pauperis in a civil rights proceeding. Thus, the Court 17 will deny the Application to Proceed and will give Plaintiff 30 days to either pay the 18 $402.00 filing and administrative fees or file a complete Application to Proceed In Forma 19 Pauperis. 20 The Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation & Reentry (ADC) has 21 notified the Court that a certified trust fund account statement (or institutional equivalent) 22 showing deposits and average monthly balances is available from the ADC’s Central 23 Office. Accordingly, Plaintiff must obtain the certified copy of his ADC trust fund account 24 statement for the six months immediately preceding the filing of the Complaint from the 25 ADC’s Central Office. 26 Plaintiff should be aware that Department Order (DO) 905.10 relates to “Filing 27 Lawsuits with State and Federal Courts” and provides information regarding how to 28 properly request the required “certified statement of account.” Specifically, DO 905.10 1 states: 2 10.1 To request a certified statement of account, inmates shall send an Inmate Letter, to their Business Office 3 where they are housed. The Business Office designee 4 shall scan and email the Inmate Letter to the Central Office ITA staff. 5 10.2 Within five workdays of receiving the Inmate Letter, 6 Central Office ITA staff shall process the request and 7 generate an email with the signed certified statement, and a memo of instructions to the corresponding 8 Business Office. 9 10.3 The Business Office staff shall process and document the request in accordance with the Unit Certified 10 Statement Procedure. The signed Inmate Letter is 11 authorization to charge the inmate for the Certified Statement. 12 10.3.1 Inmates shall incur a charge $0.25 per page. 13 A notice shall be sent to the Business 14 Manager to collect the fee. If funds are not available, the inmate’s Spendable Account 15 shall be placed on hold for the amount. 16 10.4 The inmate shall present the completed form “Application to Proceed in Forma Pauperis” and the 17 certified statements to their assigned Correctional 18 Officer III for certification. The certified application shall be returned to the inmate who is responsible for 19 filing a petition with the court. The application shall not 20 be certified by the unit’s Business Office. 21 III. Statutory Screening of Prisoner Complaints 22 The Court is required to screen complaints brought by prisoners seeking relief 23 against a governmental entity or an officer or an employee of a governmental entity. 28 24 U.S.C. § 1915A(a). The Court must dismiss a complaint or portion thereof if a plaintiff 25 has raised claims that are legally frivolous or malicious, that fail to state a claim upon which 26 relief may be granted, or that seek monetary relief from a defendant who is immune from 27 such relief. 28 U.S.C. § 1915A(b)(1)–(2). If the Court determines that a pleading could 28 be cured by the allegation of other facts, a pro se litigant is entitled to an opportunity to 1 amend a complaint before dismissal of the action. See Lopez v. Smith, 203 F.3d 1122, 2 1127-29 (9th Cir. 2000) (en banc). 3 Local Rule of Civil Procedure 3.4 requires in part that “[a]ll complaints . . . by 4 incarcerated persons must be signed and legibly written or typewritten on forms approved 5 by the Court and in accordance with the instructions provided with the forms.” Plaintiff’s 6 Complaint is not on the court-approved form. The Court may, in its discretion, forgo the 7 requirement that a plaintiff use a court-approved form. See LRCiv 3.4. The Court will 8 require use of the court-approved form because Plaintiff’s Complaint substantially differs 9 from the court-approved form. Thus, Plaintiff’s Complaint will be dismissed without 10 prejudice and with leave to amend, in order for Plaintiff to file an amended complaint on a 11 court-approved form. 12 The Court notes that Plaintiff seeks release from custody or treatment for his 13 hepatitis C. Plaintiff should be aware that he cannot obtain release from custody in a § 1983 14 action. See Preiser v. Rodriguez, 411 U.S. 475, 500 (1973) (habeas corpus, not 42 U.S.C. 15 § 1983, is “sole” remedy for “a state prisoner [] challenging the very fact or duration of his 16 physical imprisonment” and seeking his immediate release from custody).1 Habeas corpus 17 actions and civil rights actions are “independent and mutually exclusive” paths for 18 prisoners who seek relief. Nettles v. Grounds, 830 F.3d 922, 932 (9th Cir. 2016). 19 IV. Leave to Amend 20 Within 30 days, Plaintiff may submit a first amended complaint on a court-approved 21 form. The Clerk of Court will mail Plaintiff a court-approved form to use for filing a first 22 amended complaint. If Plaintiff fails to use the court-approved form, the Court may strike 23 the amended complaint and dismiss this action without further notice to Plaintiff. 24 25
26 1 The Court declines to construe the Complaint as a petition for writ of habeas corpus because Plaintiff does not allege that his conviction or sentence were unlawfully obtained. 27 See 28 U.S.C. § 2254(a) (requiring the Court to “entertain an application for a writ of habeas corpus [o]n behalf of a person in custody pursuant to the judgment of a State court 28 only on the ground that he is in custody in violation of the Constitution or laws or treaties of the United States”) (emphasis added). 1 Plaintiff must clearly designate on the face of the document that it is the “First 2 Amended Complaint.” The first amended complaint must be retyped or rewritten in its 3 entirety on the court-approved form and may not incorporate any part of the original 4 Complaint by reference. Plaintiff may include only one claim per count. 5 A first amended complaint supersedes the original Complaint. Ferdik v. Bonzelet, 6 963 F.2d 1258, 1262 (9th Cir. 1992); Hal Roach Studios v. Richard Feiner & Co., 896 F.2d 7 1542, 1546 (9th Cir. 1990). After amendment, the Court will treat the original Complaint 8 as nonexistent. Ferdik, 963 F.2d at 1262. Any cause of action that was raised in the 9 original Complaint and that was voluntarily dismissed or was dismissed without prejudice 10 is waived if it is not alleged in a first amended complaint. Lacey v. Maricopa County, 693 11 F.3d 896, 928 (9th Cir. 2012) (en banc). 12 If Plaintiff files an amended complaint, Plaintiff must write short, plain statements 13 telling the Court: (1) the constitutional right Plaintiff believes was violated; (2) the name 14 of the Defendant who violated the right; (3) exactly what that Defendant did or failed to 15 do; (4) how the action or inaction of that Defendant is connected to the violation of 16 Plaintiff’s constitutional right; and (5) what specific injury Plaintiff suffered because of 17 that Defendant’s conduct. See Rizzo v. Goode, 423 U.S. 362, 371-72, 377 (1976). 18 Plaintiff must repeat this process for each person he names as a Defendant. If 19 Plaintiff fails to affirmatively link the conduct of each named Defendant with the specific 20 injury suffered by Plaintiff, the allegations against that Defendant will be dismissed for 21 failure to state a claim. Conclusory allegations that a Defendant or group of 22 Defendants has violated a constitutional right are not acceptable and will be 23 dismissed. 24 V. Motion to Appoint Counsel 25 There is no constitutional right to the appointment of counsel in a civil case. See 26 Ivey v. Bd. of Regents, 673 F.2d 266, 269 (9th Cir. 1982). In proceedings in forma pauperis, 27 the court may request an attorney to represent any person unable to afford one. 28 U.S.C. 28 § 1915(e)(1). Appointment of counsel under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(1) is required only when 1 “exceptional circumstances” are present. Terrell v. Brewer, 935 F.2d 1015, 1017 (9th Cir. 2 1991). A determination with respect to exceptional circumstances requires an evaluation 3 of the likelihood of success on the merits as well as the ability of Plaintiff to articulate his 4 claims pro se in light of the complexity of the legal issue involved. Id. “Neither of these 5 factors is dispositive and both must be viewed together before reaching a decision.” Id. 6 (quoting Wilborn v. Escalderon, 789 F.2d 1328, 1331 (9th Cir. 1986)). 7 Having considered both elements, it does not appear at this time that exceptional 8 circumstances are present that would require the appointment of counsel in this case. 9 Plaintiff is in no different position than many pro se prisoner litigants. Thus, the Court will 10 deny without prejudice Plaintiff’s Motion to Appoint Counsel. 11 VI. Warnings 12 A. Address Changes 13 Plaintiff must file and serve a notice of a change of address in accordance with Rule 14 83.3(d) of the Local Rules of Civil Procedure. Plaintiff must not include a motion for other 15 relief with a notice of change of address. Failure to comply may result in dismissal of this 16 action. 17 B. Possible Dismissal 18 If Plaintiff fails to timely comply with every provision of this Order, including these 19 warnings, the Court may dismiss this action without further notice. See Ferdik v. Bonzelet, 20 963 F.2d 1258, 1260-61 (9th Cir. 1992) (a district court may dismiss an action for failure 21 to comply with any order of the Court). 22 IT IS ORDERED: 23 (1) Plaintiff’s Application to Proceed In Forma Pauperis (Doc. 4) is denied 24 without prejudice. 25 (2) Within 30 days of the date this Order is filed, Plaintiff must either pay the 26 $350.00 filing fee and $52.00 administrative fee or file a complete Application to Proceed 27 In Forma Pauperis and a certified six-month trust account statement (or institutional 28 equivalent). 1 (3) If Plaintiff fails to either pay the $350.00 filing fee and $52.00 administrative 2| fee or file a complete Application to Proceed In Forma Pauperis within 30 days, the Clerk of Court must enter a judgment of dismissal of this action without prejudice and without 4| further notice to Plaintiff and deny any pending unrelated motions as moot. 5 (4) |The Complaint (Doc. 1) is dismissed for failure to file on a court-approved 6| form. Plaintiff has 30 days from the date this Order is filed to file a first amended 7 | complaint in compliance with this Order. 8 (5) If Plaintiff fails to file an amended complaint within 30 days, the Clerk of Court must, without further notice, enter a judgment of dismissal of this action without 10 | prejudice and deny any pending unrelated motions as moot. 11 (6) Plaintiff's Motion to Appoint Counsel (Doc. 6) is denied without prejudice. 12 (7) | The Clerk of Court must mail Plaintiff a court-approved form for filing an 13 | Application to Proceed In Forma Pauperis (Non-Habeas) and a court-approved form for 14 | filing a civil rights complaint by a prisoner. 15 Dated this 6th day of November, 2023. 16 17 a 3 18 19 _ James A. Teil Org Senior United States District Judge 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
Instructions for Prisoners Applying for Leave to Proceed In Forma Pauperis Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915 in a Civil Action (Non-habeas) in Federal Court
You must pay the $350.00 filing fee plus the $52.00 administrative fees for a civil action. If you later file an appeal, you will be obligated to pay the $505.00 filing fee for the appeal.
If you have enough money to pay the full $402.00 filing and administrative fees, you should send a cashier=s check or money order payable to the Clerk of the Court with your complaint.
If you do not have enough money to pay the full $402.00 filing and administrative fees, you can file the action without prepaying the fees. However, the Court will assess an initial partial filing fee. The initial partial filing fee will be the greater of 20% of the average monthly deposits or 20% of the average monthly balance in your prison or jail account for the six months immediately preceding the filing of the lawsuit. The Court will order the agency that has custody of you to withdraw the initial partial filing fee from your prison or jail account as soon as funds are available and to forward the money to the Court.
After the initial partial filing fee has been paid, you will owe the balance of the $350.00 filing fee (you will not be required to pay the $52.00 administrative fee). Until the filing fee is paid in full, each month you will owe 20% of your preceding month’s income. The agency that holds you in custody will collect that money and forward it to the Court any time the amount in your account exceeds $10.00. These installment fees are calculated on a per-case basis. This means that you will be required to pay 20% of your preceding month=s income for each civil non-habeas corpus case in which you have an outstanding filing fee balance. For example, if you are making payments toward filing fee balances in two civil non-habeas corpus cases, 40% of your preceding month=s income will be collected each month. The balance of the filing fee may be collected even if the action is later dismissed, summary judgment is granted against you, or you fail to prevail at trial.
To file an action without prepaying the filing fee, and to proceed with an action in forma pauperis, you must complete the attached form and return it to the Court with your complaint. You must have a prison or jail official complete the certificate on the bottom of the form and attach a certified copy of your prison or jail account statement for the last six months. If you were incarcerated in a different institution during any part of the past six months, you must attach a certificate and a certified copy of your account statement from each institution at which you were confined. If you submit an incomplete form or do not submit a prison or jail account statement with the form, your request to proceed in forma pauperis will be denied.
Even if some or all of the filing fee has been paid, the Court is required to dismiss your action if: (1) your allegation of poverty is untrue; (2) the action is frivolous or malicious; (3) your complaint does not state a claim upon which relief can be granted; or (4) your complaint makes a claim against a defendant for money damages and that defendant is immune from liability for money damages.
If you file more than three actions or appeals which are dismissed as frivolous or malicious or for failure to state a claim on which relief can be granted, you will be prohibited from filing any other action in forma pauperis unless you are in imminent danger of serious physical injury. ___________________________________________ Name and Prisoner/Booking Number ___________________________________________ Place of Confinement ___________________________________________ Mailing Address ___________________________________________ City, State, Zip Code
IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA
_____________________________________ , CASE NO. __________________________________ Plaintiff, APPLICATION TO PROCEED v. IN FORMA PAUPERIS BY A PRISONER _____________________________________ , CIVIL (NON-HABEAS) Defendant(s).
I, , declare, in support of my request to proceed in the above entitled case without prepayment of fees under 28 U.S.C. § 1915, that I am unable to pay the fees for these proceedings or to give security therefor and that I believe I am entitled to relief.
In support of this application, I answer the following questions under penalty of perjury:
1. Have you ever before brought an action or appeal in a federal court while you were incarcerated or detained? GYes GNo If “Yes,” how many have you filed? . Were any of the actions or appeals dismissed because they were frivolous, malicious, or failed to state a claim upon which relief may be granted? GYes GNo If “Yes,” how many of them? .
2. Are you currently employed at the institution where you are confined? GYes GNo If “Yes,” state the amount of your pay and where you work.
3. Do you receive any other payments from the institution where you are confined? GYes GNo If “Yes,” state the source and amount of the payments.
1 4. Do you have any other sources of income, savings, or assets either inside or outside of the institution where you are confined? GYes GNo If “Yes,” state the sources and amounts of the income, savings, or assets.
I declare under penalty of perjury that the above information is true and correct.
________________________________ ____________________________________________ DATE SIGNATURE OF APPLICANT
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COLLECTION OF FILING FEES FROM TRUST ACCOUNT
I, , acknowledge that upon granting this Application, the Court will order designated correctional officials at this institution, or any other correctional institution to which I am transferred, to withdraw money from my trust account for payment of the filing fee, as required by 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b). The Court will require correctional officials to withdraw an initial partial payment equal to 20% of the greater of: (A) the average monthly deposits to my account for the six-month period preceding my filing of this action, or (B) the average monthly balance in my account for the six-month period preceding my filing of this action. After the initial payment, if the amount in my account is at least $10.00, the Court will require correctional officials to withdraw from my account 20% of each month’s income and forward it to the Court until the required filing fee is paid in full. I understand that I am required to pay the entire fee, even if my case is dismissed by the Court before the fee is fully paid. I further understand that if I file more than one action, correctional officials will be ordered to withdraw 20% of each month’s income, for each action, simultaneously. Accordingly, if I have filed two actions, correctional officials will withdraw 40% of my income each month; three actions will require 60% of my income each month, etc.
________________________________ ____________________________________________ DATE SIGNATURE OF APPLICANT
CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTIONAL OFFICIAL AS TO STATUS OF APPLICANT=S TRUST ACCOUNT
I, , certify that as of the date applicant signed this application: (Printed name of official) The applicant=s trust account balance at this institution is: $ The applicant=s average monthly deposits during the prior six months is: $ The applicant=s average monthly balance during the prior six months is: $ The attached certified account statement accurately reflects the status of the applicant=s account.
DATE AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE TITLE/ID NUMBER INSTITUTION Instructions for a Prisoner Filing a Civil Rights Complaint in the United States District Court for the District of Arizona
1. Who May Use This Form. The civil rights complaint form is designed to help incarcerated persons prepare a complaint seeking relief for a violation of their federal civil rights. These complaints typically concern, but are not limited to, conditions of confinement. This form should not be used to challenge your conviction or sentence. If you want to challenge a state conviction or sentence, you should file a petition under 28 U.S.C. ' 2254 for a writ of habeas corpus by a person in state custody. If you want to challenge a federal conviction or sentence, you should file a motion under 28 U.S.C. § 2255 to vacate sentence in the federal court that entered the judgment.
2. The Form. Local Rule of Civil Procedure (LRCiv) 3.4 provides that complaints by incarcerated persons must be filed on the court-approved form. The form must be typed or neatly handwritten. The form must be completely filled in to the extent applicable. All questions must be answered clearly and concisely in the appropriate space on the form. If needed, you may attach additional pages, but no more than fifteen additional pages, of standard letter-sized paper. You must identify which part of the complaint is being continued and number all pages. If you do not fill out the form properly, you will be asked to submit additional or corrected information, which may delay the processing of your action. You do not need to cite law.
3. Your Signature. You must tell the truth and sign the form. If you make a false statement of a material fact, you may be prosecuted for perjury.
4. The Filing and Administrative Fees. The total fees for this action are $402.00 ($350.00 filing fee plus $52.00 administrative fee). If you are unable to immediately pay the fees, you may request leave to proceed in forma pauperis. Please review the “Information for Prisoners Seeking Leave to Proceed with a (Non-Habeas) Civil Action in Federal Court In Forma Pauperis Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. ' 1915” for additional instructions.
5. Original and Judge=s Copy. You must send an original plus one copy of your complaint and of any other documents submitted to the Court. You must send one additional copy to the Court if you wish to have a file-stamped copy of the document returned to you. All copies must be identical to the original. Copies may be legibly handwritten. This section does not apply to inmates housed at an Arizona Department of Corrections facility that participates in electronic filing.
6. Where to File. You should file your complaint in the division where you were confined when your rights were allegedly violated. See LRCiv 5.1(a) and 77.1(a). If you were confined in Maricopa, Pinal, Yuma, La Paz, or Gila County, file in the Phoenix Division. If you were confined in Apache, Navajo, Coconino, Mohave, or Yavapai County, file in the Prescott Division. If you were confined in Pima, Cochise, Santa Cruz, Graham, or Greenlee County, file in the Tucson Division. Mail the original and one copy of the complaint with the $402 filing and administrative fees or the application to proceed in forma pauperis to:
1 Revised 12/1/20 Phoenix & Prescott Divisions: OR Tucson Division: U.S. District Court Clerk U.S. District Court Clerk U.S. Courthouse, Suite 130 U.S. Courthouse, Suite 1500 401 West Washington Street, SPC 10 405 West Congress Street Phoenix, Arizona 85003-2119 Tucson, Arizona 85701-5010
7. Change of Address. You must immediately notify the Court and the defendants in writing of any change in your mailing address. Failure to notify the Court of any change in your mailing address may result in the dismissal of your case.
8. Certificate of Service. You must furnish the defendants with a copy of any document you submit to the Court (except the initial complaint and application to proceed in forma pauperis). Each original document (except the initial complaint and application to proceed in forma pauperis) must include a certificate of service on the last page of the document stating the date a copy of the document was mailed to the defendants and the address to which it was mailed. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 5(a), (d). Any document received by the Court that does not include a certificate of service may be stricken. This section does not apply to inmates housed at an Arizona Department of Corrections facility that participates in electronic filing. A certificate of service should be in the following form:
I hereby certify that a copy of the foregoing document was mailed this (month, day, year) to: Name: Address: Attorney for Defendant(s)
(Signature)
9. Amended Complaint. If you need to change any of the information in the initial complaint, you must file an amended complaint. The amended complaint must be written on the court- approved civil rights complaint form. You may file one amended complaint without leave (permission) of Court within 21 days after serving it or within 21 days after any defendant has filed an answer, whichever is earlier. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 15(a). Thereafter, you must file a motion for leave to amend and lodge (submit) a proposed amended complaint. LRCiv 15.1. In addition, an amended complaint may not incorporate by reference any part of your prior complaint. LRCiv 15.1(a)(2). Any allegations or defendants not included in the amended complaint are considered dismissed. All amended complaints are subject to screening under the Prison Litigation Reform Act; screening your amendment will take additional processing time.
10. Exhibits. You should not submit exhibits with the complaint or amended complaint. Instead, the relevant information should be paraphrased. You should keep the exhibits to use to support or oppose a motion to dismiss, a motion for summary judgment, or at trial.
11. Letters and Motions. It is generally inappropriate to write a letter to any judge or the staff of any judge. The only appropriate way to communicate with the Court is by filing a written pleading or motion.
2 12. Completing the Civil Rights Complaint Form.
HEADING: 1. Your Name. Print your name, prison or inmate number, and institutional mailing address on the lines provided.
2. Defendants. If there are four or fewer defendants, print the name of each. If you name more than four defendants, print the name of the first defendant on the first line, write the words “and others” on the second line, and attach an additional page listing the names of all of the defendants. Insert the additional page after page 1 and number it “1- A” at the bottom.
3. Jury Demand. If you want a jury trial, you must write “JURY TRIAL DEMANDED” in the space below “CIVIL RIGHTS COMPLAINT BY A PRISONER.” Failure to do so may result in the loss of the right to a jury trial. A jury trial is not available if you are seeking only injunctive relief.
Part A. JURISDICTION: 1. Nature of Suit. Mark whether you are filing the complaint pursuant to 42 U.S.C. ' 1983 for state, county, or city defendants; “Bivens v. Six Unknown Federal Narcotics Agents” for federal defendants; or “other.” If you mark “other,” identify the source of that authority.
2. Location. Identify the institution and city where the alleged violation of your rights occurred.
3. Defendants. Print all of the requested information about each of the defendants in the spaces provided. If you are naming more than four defendants, you must provide the necessary information about each additional defendant on separate pages labeled “2-A,” “2-B,” etc., at the bottom. Insert the additional page(s) immediately behind page 2.
Part B. PREVIOUS LAWSUITS: You must identify any other lawsuit you have filed in either state or federal court while you were a prisoner. Print all of the requested information about each lawsuit in the spaces provided. If you have filed more than three lawsuits, you must provide the necessary information about each additional lawsuit on a separate page. Label the page(s) as “2-A,” “2-B,” etc., at the bottom of the page and insert the additional page(s) immediately behind page 2.
Part C. CAUSE OF ACTION: You must identify what rights each defendant violated. The form provides space to allege three separate counts (one violation per count). If you are alleging more than three counts, you must provide the necessary information about each additional count on a separate page. Number the additional pages “5-A,” “5-B,” etc., and insert them immediately behind page 5. Remember that you are limited to a total of fifteen additional pages.
3 1. Counts. You must identify which civil right was violated. You may allege the violation of only one civil right per count.
2. Issue Involved. Check the box that most closely identifies the issue involved in your claim. You may check only one box per count. If you check the box marked “Other,” you must identify the specific issue involved.
3. Supporting Facts. After you have identified which civil right was violated, you must state the supporting facts. Be as specific as possible. You must state what each individual defendant did to violate your rights. If there is more than one defendant, you must identify which defendant did what act. You also should state the date(s) on which the act(s) occurred, if possible.
4. Injury. State precisely how you were injured by the alleged violation of your rights.
5. Administrative Remedies. You must exhaust any available administrative remedies before you file a civil rights complaint. See 42 U.S.C. § 1997e. Consequently, you should disclose whether you have exhausted the inmate grievance procedures or administrative appeals for each count in your complaint. If the grievance procedures were not available for any of your counts, fully explain why on the lines provided.
Part D. REQUEST FOR RELIEF: Print the relief you are seeking in the space provided.
SIGNATURE: You must sign your name and print the date you signed the complaint. Failure to sign the complaint will delay the processing of your action. Unless you are an attorney, you may not bring an action on behalf of anyone but yourself.
FINAL NOTE
You should follow these instructions carefully. Failure to do so may result in your complaint being stricken or dismissed. All questions must be answered concisely in the proper space on the form. If you need more space, you may attach no more than fifteen additional pages. But the form must be completely filled in to the extent applicable. If you attach additional pages, be sure to identify which section of the complaint is being continued and number the pages.
4 ___________________________________________ Name and Prisoner/Booking Number ___________________________________________ Place of Confinement ___________________________________________ Mailing Address ___________________________________________ City, State, Zip Code (Failure to notify the Court of your change of address may result in dismissal of this action.)
IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA
_________________________________________ , (Full Name of Plaintiff)
Plaintiff, v. CASE NO. __________________________________ (To be supplied by the Clerk) (1) _______________________________________ ,
(Full Name of Defendant) CIVIL RIGHTS COMPLAINT (2) _______________________________________ , BY A PRISONER
(3) _______________________________________ , G Original Complaint (4) _______________________________________ , G First Amended Complaint G Second Amended Complaint Defendant(s).
G Check if there are additional Defendants and attach page 1-A listing them.
A. JURISDICTION
1. This Court has jurisdiction over this action pursuant to: G 28 U.S.C. § 1343(a); 42 U.S.C. § 1983 G 28 U.S.C. § 1331; Bivens v. Six Unknown Federal Narcotics Agents, 403 U.S. 388 (1971). G Other: .
2. Institution/city where violation occurred: .
550/555 B. DEFENDANTS
1. Name of first Defendant: . The first Defendant is employed as: ______________________________________________ at_______________________________________. (Position and Title) (Institution)
2. Name of second Defendant: . The second Defendant is employed as: as: ______________________________________________ at_______________________________________. (Position and Title) (Institution)
3. Name of third Defendant: . The third Defendant is employed as: ______________________________________________ at_______________________________________. (Position and Title) (Institution)
4. Name of fourth Defendant: . The fourth Defendant is employed as: ______________________________________________ at_______________________________________. (Position and Title) (Institution)
If you name more than four Defendants, answer the questions listed above for each additional Defendant on a separate page.
C. PREVIOUS LAWSUITS
1. Have you filed any other lawsuits while you were a prisoner? G Yes G No
2. If yes, how many lawsuits have you filed? . Describe the previous lawsuits:
a. First prior lawsuit: 1. Parties: v. 2. Court and case number: . 3. Result: (Was the case dismissed? Was it appealed? Is it still pending?) .
b. Second prior lawsuit: 1. Parties: v. 2. Court and case number: . 3. Result: (Was the case dismissed? Was it appealed? Is it still pending?) .
c. Third prior lawsuit: 1. Parties: v. 2. Court and case number: . 3. Result: (Was the case dismissed? Was it appealed? Is it still pending?) .
If you filed more than three lawsuits, answer the questions listed above for each additional lawsuit on a separate page. 2 D. CAUSE OF ACTION
COUNT I 1. State the constitutional or other federal civil right that was violated: .
2. Count I. Identify the issue involved. Check only one. State additional issues in separate counts. G Basic necessities G Mail G Access to the court G Medical care G Disciplinary proceedings G Property G Exercise of religion G Retaliation G Excessive force by an officer G Threat to safety G Other: .
3. Supporting Facts. State as briefly as possible the FACTS supporting Count I. Describe exactly what each Defendant did or did not do that violated your rights. State the facts clearly in your own words without citing legal authority or arguments.
.
4. Injury. State how you were injured by the actions or inactions of the Defendant(s).
5. Administrative Remedies: a. Are there any administrative remedies (grievance procedures or administrative appeals) available at your institution? G Yes G No b. Did you submit a request for administrative relief on Count I? G Yes G No c. Did you appeal your request for relief on Count I to the highest level? G Yes G No d. If you did not submit or appeal a request for administrative relief at any level, briefly explain why you did not. .
3 COUNT II 1. State the constitutional or other federal civil right that was violated: .
2. Count II. Identify the issue involved. Check only one. State additional issues in separate counts. G Basic necessities G Mail G Access to the court G Medical care G Disciplinary proceedings G Property G Exercise of religion G Retaliation G Excessive force by an officer G Threat to safety G Other: .
3. Supporting Facts. State as briefly as possible the FACTS supporting Count II. Describe exactly what each Defendant did or did not do that violated your rights. State the facts clearly in your own words without citing legal authority or arguments.
4. Injury. State how you were injured by the actions or inactions of the Defendant(s).
5. Administrative Remedies. a. Are there any administrative remedies (grievance procedures or administrative appeals) available at your institution? G Yes G No b. Did you submit a request for administrative relief on Count II? G Yes G No c. Did you appeal your request for relief on Count II to the highest level? G Yes G No d. If you did not submit or appeal a request for administrative relief at any level, briefly explain why you did not. .
4 COUNT III 1. State the constitutional or other federal civil right that was violated: .
2. Count III. Identify the issue involved. Check only one. State additional issues in separate counts. G Basic necessities G Mail G Access to the court G Medical care G Disciplinary proceedings G Property G Exercise of religion G Retaliation G Excessive force by an officer G Threat to safety G Other: .
3. Supporting Facts. State as briefly as possible the FACTS supporting Count III. Describe exactly what each Defendant did or did not do that violated your rights. State the facts clearly in your own words without citing legal authority or arguments.
4. Injury. State how you were injured by the actions or inactions of the Defendant(s).
5. Administrative Remedies. a. Are there any administrative remedies (grievance procedures or administrative appeals) available at your institution? G Yes G No b. Did you submit a request for administrative relief on Count III? G Yes G No c. Did you appeal your request for relief on Count III to the highest level? G Yes G No d. If you did not submit or appeal a request for administrative relief at any level, briefly explain why you did not. .
If you assert more than three Counts, answer the questions listed above for each additional Count on a separate page.
5 E. REQUEST FOR RELIEF
State the relief you are seeking:
I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct.
Executed on DATE SIGNATURE OF PLAINTIFF
___________________________________________ (Name and title of paralegal, legal assistant, or other person who helped prepare this complaint)
___________________________________________ (Signature of attorney, if any)
___________________________________________ (Attorney=s address & telephone number)
ADDITIONAL PAGES
All questions must be answered concisely in the proper space on the form. If you need more space, you may attach no more than fifteen additional pages. But the form must be completely filled in to the extent applicable. If you attach additional pages, be sure to identify which section of the complaint is being continued and number all pages.