CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS et al v. LAWRENCE et al

Filing 3

MEMORANDUM AND OPINION. Signed by Judge Tanya S. Chutkan on 1/10/22. (DJS)

Case 1:21-cv-03392-TSC Document 3 Filed 01/10/22 Page 1 of 2

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
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Plaintiffs,
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v.
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R. CRAIG LAWRENCE, Assistant United )
States.,
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Defendants.
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CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF
LATTER-DAY SAINTS, et al

Civil Action No. 21-cv-3392-TSC

MEMORANDUM OPINION
Pro se Plaintiff Xiu Jian Sun brings this action on his own behalf and purports to
also bring it on behalf of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Sun names
numerous current or former Assistant United States Attorneys as Defendants. The
Complaint does not contain any citations to common law or statutory theories. Nor
does it contain any factual allegations. Rather, Sun quotes what appear to be Biblical
versus about stealing, lying, and offending, as the basis for demanding a jury trial “with
god’s [sic] law.” Compl. at ECF p. 4.
“The Court is mindful that a pro se litigant’s complaint is held to a less stringent standard
than formal pleadings drafted by lawyers.” Jarrell v. Tisch, 656 F. Supp. 237, 239 (D.D.C.
1987) (citing Redwood v. Council of the District of Columbia, 679 F.2d 931 (D.C. Cir. 1982);
Haines v. Kerner, 404 U.S. 519 (1972)). However, this standard “does not constitute a license
for a plaintiff filing pro se to ignore the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure or expect the Court to
decide what claims a plaintiff may or may not want to assert.” Jarrell, 656 F. Supp. at 239

Case 1:21-cv-03392-TSC Document 3 Filed 01/10/22 Page 2 of 2

(citations omitted). Rule 8(a) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure requires that complaints
contain, inter alia, “a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled
to relief.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a). In other words, Rule 8(a) requires that the plaintiff “give the
defendant fair notice of what the claim is and the grounds upon which it rests.” Bell Atl. Corp. v.
Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555–56 (2007) (holding that the complaint must contain enough “factual
matter” to suggest liability) (citation and alterations omitted). Plaintiff must assert enough facts
to give the defendant “fair notice of the claim being asserted so as to permit the [defendant] the
opportunity to file a responsive answer, prepare an adequate defense and determine whether the
doctrine of res judicata is applicable.” Brown v. Califano, 75 F.R.D. 497, 498 (D.D.C. 1977)
(citation omitted).
Sun’s Complaint does not meet the Rule 8 pleading standard. The complaint does not
establish a legally cognizable basis for his claims or the basis for the court’s jurisdiction.
Thus, Sun has not given the Defendants “fair notice of what the claim is and the grounds upon
which it rests.” Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555. Therefore, by separate order, the court will dismiss
the complaint without prejudice.

Date: January 10, 2022

Tanya S. Chutkan

TANYA S. CHUTKAN
United States District Judge