Chapman v. Colvin

Filing 10

ORDER granting 9 Motion to pay a reduced fee. Signed by Magistrate Judge G. R. Smith on 1/18/17. (wwp)

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF GEORGIA
SAVANNAH DIVISION
JACQUELINE E. CHAPMAN,

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Plaintiff,

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CV416-272

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CAROLYN L. COLVIN, Acting
Commissioner of Social Security,

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Defendant.

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ORDER
Proceeding pro Se, Jacqueline Chapman has filed a complaint
asking the Court to review the denial of her social security disability
claim. Doe. 1. She was granted leave to proceed in forma pauperis
(IFP), and ordered to pay a reduced filing fee of $200 to proceed with
her case. Doe. 8. Plaintiff has subsequently mailed a letter' request to
the Court, seeking permission to set up a $ 50 monthly instalment plan.
Doc. 9. Plaintiffs request is GRANTED. As she has paid her initial

1

Parties should submit to this Court formal complaints, petitions, briefs and
motions, not letters. Letters can get lost, while formal filings are filed in the record
of each case. This creates a public record of a matter presented for the Court's
consideration. See In Re: Unsolicited Letters to Federal Judges, 126 F. Supp. 2d 1073
(S.D. Ga. 2000). Motions also get placed on the Court's "pending motions" list, while
letters do not (hence, they might be ignored). For that matter, the federal rules
specifically require that requests for a court order be made "by motion." Fed. R. Civ.
P. 7(b)(1).

partial filing fee of $ 50, the Court will screen her Complaint pursuant
to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e) in a separate order. 2
SO ORDERED, this 18th day of January, 2017.

UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE
SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF GEORGIA

2

The Court cautions Chapman that granting leave to proceed IFP in no way bears
on the merits of her case. The right to proceed IFP in the federal district courts is
governed by 28 U.S.C. § 1915, which authorizes courts to dismiss cases sua sponte if:
(1) the allegation of poverty is untrue, (2) the action is frivolous or malicious, (3) the
complaint fails to state a claim upon which relief may be granted, or (4) the
complaint seeks money damages from a defendant who is immune from suit.
28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2).
2