Dearwester v. California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation et al
Filing
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ORDER denying Motion for Relief from Filing Fee under 28 USC 1914 19 signed by Magistrate Judge Sheila K. Oberto on 5/11/2020. (Lundstrom, T)
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
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EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
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FRANK LEE DEARWESTER,
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Plaintiff,
v.
CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF
CORRECTIONS AND
REHABILITATION, et al.,
Case No. 1:15-cv-00354-SKO (PC)
ORDER DENYING MOTION FOR RELIEF
FROM FILING FEE UNDER 28 U.S.C.
§ 1915
(Doc. 19)
Defendants.
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Plaintiff Frank Lee Dearwester is a state prisoner proceeding in forma pauperis. On
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September 4, 2015, the Court dismissed this action for failure to state a claim on which relief can
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be granted. (Doc. 14.) On May 7, 2020, Plaintiff filed a motion requesting relief from the filing
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fee payments required by 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b). (Doc. 19.)
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Prisoners proceeding in forma pauperis are “required to pay the full amount of a filing
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fee” of a civil action they initiate. 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(1). Such prisoners are required to pay “an
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initial partial filing fee of 20 percent of the greater of … the average monthly deposits to the
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prisoner’s account … or … the average monthly balance in the prisoner’s account for the 6-month
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period immediately preceding the filing of the complaint.” Id. “After payment of the initial partial
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filing fee, the prisoner … [is] required to make monthly payments of 20 percent of the preceding
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month’s income credited to the prisoner’s account.” Id. § 1915(b)(2).
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In his motion, Plaintiff states that he currently works for the Prison Industry Authority at
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Mule Creek State Prison, helping produce personal protective equipment. (Doc. 19 at 1-2.) He
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currently owes restitution as well as the filing fees in multiple civil actions he initiated while
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incarcerated. (See id. at 7.) Plaintiff states that 55 percent of his monthly wages are deducted for
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restitution, while much of the remainder is deducted for the filing fees. (Id. at 2.) He states that
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“[h]e was not aware that additional partial filing fees would stack up instead of be taken
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sequentially,” with each case “taking a twenty percent … bite of Plaintiff’s wages.” (Id.) Plaintiff
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therefore requests relief from the filing fee owed for this action. (Id. at 4.)
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As an initial matter, the filing fee is mandatory. The in forma pauperis statute provides
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that prisoners “shall be required to pay the full amount of a filing fee,” and the “court shall assess
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and … collect … an initial partial filing fee of 20 percent” of the average monthly deposits or
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average monthly balance in the prisoner’s trust account. 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(1) (emphasis
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added). Additionally, “the prisoner shall be required to make monthly payments of 20 percent of
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the preceding month’s income.” Id. § 1915(b)(2) (emphasis added). The Court, therefore, does
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not have the discretion to waive the filing fee.
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In addition, the Supreme Court has addressed the issue of whether filing fees from
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multiple cases should be assessed sequentially or simultaneously against an inmate under section
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1915(b)(2). In Bruce v. Samuels, the plaintiff, like Plaintiff in this case, “had previously incurred
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filing-fee obligations in other cases and maintained that the monthly filing-fee payments for [the
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present] case would not become due until those prior obligations were satisfied.” 136 S. Ct. 627,
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630-31 (2016). The Supreme Court held, though, that the plaintiff must make the monthly filing-
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fee payments in the present case simultaneously, not sequentially, with such payments in the
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earlier-filed cases. Id. at 631. The same holds true for the initial partial filing fee. Id. at 631-32.
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The Court additionally notes that Plaintiff has not yet made a payment for this case. (See
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id. Doc. 19 at 7.) Although Plaintiff owes the filing fees for more than ten cases, due to the
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requirement that prisons collect fees only when the amount in a prisoner’s account exceeds $10,
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28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(2), Plaintiff is currently making monthly payments in only two of these ten
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cases. (See Doc. 19 at 6.)
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The Court commends Plaintiff for his employment. The filing fee obligations and payment
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amounts, however, are mandatory. See, e.g., Soares v. Paramo, No. 3:13-cv-02971-BTM-RBB,
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2018 WL 5962728, at *2 (S.D. Cal. 2018); Cartwright v. Sparks, No. 1:94-cv-06044-AWI, 2012
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WL 394175, at *1 (E.D. Cal. 2012); Adams v. Maricopa Cty. Sheriff's Office, No. 2:10-cv-01558-
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PHX-RCB, 2010 WL 4269528, at *1-2 (D. Ariz. 2010). Accordingly, the Court DENIES
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Plaintiff’s motion.
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IT IS SO ORDERED.
Dated:
May 11, 2020
/s/
Sheila K. Oberto
UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE
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