Meriwether et al v. City of Velda City Police Department et al

Filing 7

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER: IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that plaintiff Meriwether's "Motion Directed to Judge John A. Ross for Unconditional Leave to Proceed In Forma Pauperis" Doc. # 5 is DENIED. Signed by District Judge John A. Ross on 1/23/14. (ARL)

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
EASTERN DISTRICT OF MISSOURI
EASTERN DIVISION
DARNEL MERIWETHER, et al.,
Plaintiffs,
v.
CITY OF VELDA CITY POLICE
DEPARTMENT, et al.,
Defendants.

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No. 4:13CV2152 JAR

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MEMORANDUM AND ORDER
Before the Court is plaintiff Darnel Meriwether’s motion entitled “Motion
Directed to Judge John A. Ross for Unconditional Leave to Proceed In Forma
Pauperis.” Plaintiff’s motion was filed on January 9, 2014, the same date this
Court dismissed this action pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 41(b) for plaintiffs’ failure to
properly respond to this Court’s December 3, 2013 Memorandum and Order. For
the following reasons, the Court will deny plaintiff’s post-dismissal motion.
On October 23, 2013, plaintiffs Darnel Meriwether and Michael Thomas
filed a joint complaint in this Court, pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983, alleging
violations of their civil rights. Named as defendants were the City of Velda City
Police Department, as well as Office Michael Lewis and Officer Jim Ervin.
Plaintiffs asserted that the officers made a warrantless arrest, without probable

cause, and falsely imprisoned plaintiffs in order to punish plaintiffs for exercising
their First Amendment rights. Plaintiffs sought monetary damages and injunctive
relief.
Because plaintiffs had failed to pay the filing fee and only plaintiff
Meriwether submitted a motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis, the Court
ordered both plaintiffs to submit CJA-Form 23 Financial Affidavits. The Court
additionally ordered plaintiff Thomas to submit a motion to proceed in forma
pauperis. Plaintiffs were provided twenty (20) days to comply with the Court’s
Memorandum and Order. When plaintiffs failed to comply with this Court’s
Order, the case was dismissed pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 41(b).
In plaintiff Meriwether’s motion “Directed to Judge John A. Ross for
Unconditional Leave to Proceed In Forma Pauperis,” plaintiff merely reasserts the
claims submitted in plaintiffs’ original complaint. The Court is unsure of the intent
of plaintiff’s motion, as plaintiff Darnel Meriwether has a prior motion to proceed
in forma pauperis before the Court. It was plaintiff Thomas who was instructed to
file a separate motion to proceed in forma pauperis. Plaintiff Meriwether cannot
file a document on plaintiff Thomas’ behalf.1

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A litigant may bring his own claims to federal court without counsel, but
not the claims of others. See 28 U.S.C. § 1654; see also 7A Wright, Miller &
Kane, Federal Practice and Procedure: Civil 3d § 1769.1 (“class representatives
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Even if the Court were to interpret plaintiff’s motion as a motion for
reconsideration of the dismissal of this action, it must be denied. Plaintiff
Meriwether has still failed to submit the CJA-Form 23 Financial Affidavit, the
“supplemental pleading” outlining the additional claims is not signed by plaintiff
Thomas, and plaintiff Thomas has also failed to submit his motion to proceed in
forma pauperis and the required CJA-Form 23 Financial Affidavit. As such, the
Court refuses to reconsider the dismissal of this matter.
Accordingly,
IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that plaintiff Meriwether’s “Motion Directed
to Judge John A. Ross for Unconditional Leave to Proceed In Forma Pauperis”
[Doc. #5] is DENIED.
Dated this 23rd day of January, 2014.

JOHN A. ROSS
UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

cannot appear pro se”).
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