Riley Thornock v. City of Salem, Virginia

• Court: Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
• Decided: December 1, 2025
• Docket: 25-1871
• Status: Unpublished

Opinion

USCA4 Appeal: 25-1871 Doc: 8 Filed: 12/01/2025 Pg: 1 of 2

UNPUBLISHED

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT

No. 25-1871

RILEY THORNOCK,

Plaintiff - Appellant,

v.

THE CITY OF SALEM, VIRGINIA,

Defendant - Appellee.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, at Richmond. Roderick Charles Young, District Judge. (3:25-cv-00413-RCY)

Submitted: November 25, 2025 Decided: December 1, 2025

Before WYNN and RICHARDSON, Circuit Judges, and KEENAN, Senior Circuit Judge.

Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinion.

Riley Thornock, Appellant Pro Se.

Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit. USCA4 Appeal: 25-1871 Doc: 8 Filed: 12/01/2025 Pg: 2 of 2

PER CURIAM:

Riley Thornock appeals the district court’s order dismissing without prejudice his

civil complaint for improper venue. ∗ On appeal, we confine our review to the issues raised

in the informal brief. See 4th Cir. R. 34(b). Because Thornock’s informal brief does not

challenge the basis for the district court’s disposition, he has forfeited appellate review of

the court’s order. See Jackson v. Lightsey, 775 F.3d 170, 177 (4th Cir. 2014) (“The

informal brief is an important document; under Fourth Circuit rules, our review is limited

to issues preserved in that brief.”). Accordingly, we affirm the district court’s judgment.

We dispense with oral argument because the facts and legal contentions are adequately

presented in the materials before this court and argument would not aid the decisional

process.

AFFIRMED

∗ The district court’s order is a final, appealable order because the court did not grant Thornock leave to amend his complaint. Britt v. DeJoy, 45 F.4th 790, 796 (4th Cir. 2022) (en banc) (order).