Riley v. United States

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Missouri
DecidedOctober 7, 2022
Docket4:22-cv-00888
StatusUnknown

This text of Riley v. United States (Riley v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Riley v. United States, (E.D. Mo. 2022).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF MISSOURI EASTERN DIVISION

EILEEN M. RILEY, ) ) Plaintiff, ) ) v. ) No. 4:22-cv-00888-JMB ) UNITED STATES, ) ) Defendant. )

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER This matter comes before the Court on the motion of plaintiff Eileen M. Riley for leave to commence this civil action without prepayment of the required filing fee. (Docket No. 2). Having reviewed the motion, the Court finds that it should be granted. See 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(1). Additionally, for the reasons discussed below, the Court will dismiss this action without prejudice. Legal Standard on Initial Review Under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2), the Court is required to dismiss a complaint filed in forma pauperis if it is frivolous, malicious, or fails to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. To state a claim, a plaintiff must demonstrate a plausible claim for relief, which is more than a “mere possibility of misconduct.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 679 (2009). “A claim has facial plausibility when the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.” Id. at 678. Determining whether a complaint states a plausible claim for relief is a context-specific task that requires the reviewing court to draw upon judicial experience and common sense. Id. at 679. The court must “accept as true the facts alleged, but not legal conclusions or threadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported by mere conclusory statements.” Barton v. Taber, 820 F.3d 958, 964 (8th Cir. 2016). See also Brown v. Green Tree Servicing LLC, 820 F.3d 371, 372-73 (8th Cir. 2016) (stating that court must accept factual allegations in complaint as true, but is not required to “accept as true any legal conclusion couched as a factual allegation”). When reviewing a pro se complaint under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2), the Court must give it the benefit of a liberal construction. Haines v. Kerner, 404 U.S. 519, 520 (1972). A “liberal

construction” means that if the essence of an allegation is discernible, the district court should construe the plaintiff’s complaint in a way that permits his or her claim to be considered within the proper legal framework. Solomon v. Petray, 795 F.3d 777, 787 (8th Cir. 2015). However, even pro se complaints are required to allege facts which, if true, state a claim for relief as a matter of law. Martin v. Aubuchon, 623 F.2d 1282, 1286 (8th Cir. 1980). See also Stone v. Harry, 364 F.3d 912, 914-15 (8th Cir. 2004) (stating that federal courts are not required to “assume facts that are not alleged, just because an additional factual allegation would have formed a stronger complaint”). In addition, affording a pro se complaint the benefit of a liberal construction does not mean that procedural rules in ordinary civil litigation must be interpreted so as to excuse mistakes

by those who proceed without counsel. See McNeil v. United States, 508 U.S. 106, 113 (1993). The Complaint Plaintiff is a self-represented litigant who has filed a civil action titled “Petition in Violation of Life, Liberty and Property.” (Docket No. 1). She names the United States as the sole defendant. (Docket No. 1 at 1). The complaint is typewritten and not on a Court-provided form. In the “History” section of her complaint, plaintiff begins by stating that she is submitting “this petition for relief of distress for the grievances already detailed” in two prior cases filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.1 According to plaintiff, those grievances continue to this day, and include being “subjected to systematic, arbitrary and capricious discriminatory actions…in violation of the constitution and local, state and federal laws.” She further states that: Policies and procedures were implemented and executed with the intent to [eradicate] the virtue of religion, specifically the moral truths necessary for true human development and the common good. Defendants maintained compliance and cooperation with employees and partners as a condition of employment with real or perceived personal gain to individuals. Plaintiff expected justice and sought it repeatedly but it was denied. Defendants had reasonable knowledge that plaintiff would not enjoy any support from family, friends, colleagues or neighbors, namely, what we were all taught, ‘What men and women will do under certain conditions.’

Plaintiff asserts that defendants had or should have had knowledge about “ongoing unlawful actions” that disregarded her well-being. She then notes – confusingly – that she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005, had a lumpectomy in 2006, and her “last gynecological exam” in October 2007, where an EKG was performed. (Docket No. 1 at 1-2). During that final examination, plaintiff asked the doctor why she received an EKG, but received no answer. (Docket No. 1 at 2). Two months later, she states that she “was terminated,” though she provides no specifics. In 2017, plaintiff’s cancer returned, but she explains that seeking “health care treatment as a ward of the state or tied to any terms or conditions other than sound standard of care is insanity and…unlawful.” Plaintiff concludes the “History” section of her complaint by observing that she is eligible to retire with Social Security benefits, and that she paid off her student loans in 2004, after receiving an inheritance.

1 These cases are Riley v. US Bancorp, et al., No. 4:08-cv-206-ERW (E.D. Mo.) (employment discrimination complaint dismissed on August 26, 2009); and Riley v. FedEx Corporation, et al., No. 4:17-cv-2192-RLW (E.D. Mo.) (employment discrimination complaint dismissed on February 4, 2019). In the “Current Adverse Actions” section of her complaint, plaintiff appears to reach the substance of this action. She states that in “April/May 2018,” she “completed an application for an apartment and was denied.” Plaintiff was then “referred to Dutchtown South Community Corporation (DSCC)…a non-profit organization with a mission” of “[a]dvancing [neighborhood] vitality through community empowerment, housing stabilization [and] real estate development.”

She states that DSCC approved her application, and she entered into a lease agreement with them. (Docket No. 1 at 3). From 2018 to the present, plaintiff has lived at an apartment rented to her by DSCC. However, DSCC has since sought and received a judgment of eviction. In response to being evicted, plaintiff levies a number of complaints against DSCC. To begin, plaintiff states that “DSCC had or should have had knowledge of… plaintiff’s adverse actions and chose to continue to harass and create undue[,] unlawful burdens” for her. Plaintiff also alleges that DSCC “repeatedly violated” the lease agreement in at least three ways. First, she accuses DSCC of failing “to maintain strict care of custody and keys,” thereby

violating her “rights to privacy, peace and tranquility of her apartment.” This occurred when “DSCC permitted volunteers and employees to enter without notice,” in contravention to the right of entry clause in the lease agreement.

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Related

Zutz v. Nelson
601 F.3d 842 (Eighth Circuit, 2010)
United States v. King
395 U.S. 1 (Supreme Court, 1969)
Haines v. Kerner
404 U.S. 519 (Supreme Court, 1972)
Bender v. Williamsport Area School District
475 U.S. 534 (Supreme Court, 1986)
McNeil v. United States
508 U.S. 106 (Supreme Court, 1993)
Federal Deposit Insurance v. Meyer
510 U.S. 471 (Supreme Court, 1994)
Ashcroft v. Iqbal
556 U.S. 662 (Supreme Court, 2009)
City of Kansas City, Mo. v. Yarco Co., Inc.
625 F.3d 1038 (Eighth Circuit, 2010)
Reynolds v. Dormire
636 F.3d 976 (Eighth Circuit, 2011)
Martin v. Aubuchon
623 F.2d 1282 (Eighth Circuit, 1980)
Tymiak v. Omodt
676 F.2d 306 (Eighth Circuit, 1982)
Higbee v. Starr
698 F.2d 945 (Eighth Circuit, 1983)

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Bluebook (online)
Riley v. United States, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/riley-v-united-states-moed-2022.