Achter v. Sheriff et al

Filing 3

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER re: 2 MOTION for Leave to Proceed in forma pauperis under 42:1983 (prisoner) filed by Plaintiff Leslie Allen Achter motion is GRANTED..IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that, within thirty (30) days of the date of this Memorandum and Or der, plaintiff must pay an initial filing fee of $1.00..IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that, within thirty (30) days of the date of this Memorandum and Order, plaintiff shall submit an amended complaint in accordance with the instructions set forth herei n. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the Clerk of Court shall mail to plaintiff a blank Prisoner Civil Rights Complaint form(Amended/Supplemental Pleadings due by 9/13/2017., Initial Partial Filing Fee due by 9/13/2017.). Signed by District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr on 8/14/17. (MRS)

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
EASTERN DISTRICT OF MISSOURI
EASTERN DISTRICT

LESLIE ALLEN ACHTER,
Plaintiff,
v.
UNKNOWN SHERIFF, et al.,
Defendants.

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No. 4:17-CV-2231 SNLJ

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER
This matter is before the Court upon the motion of plaintiff Leslie Allen Achter, a
prisoner in St. Francis County Jail, for leave to commence this action without prepayment of the
filing fee. [Doc. #2] The Court will assess an initial partial filing fee of $1.00.1 In addition, the
Court will allow plaintiff the opportunity to submit an amended complaint.
Legal Standard
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. A
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Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. ' 1915(b)(1), a prisoner bringing a civil action in forma pauperis is
required to pay the full amount of the filing fee. If the prisoner has insufficient funds in his or
her prison account to pay the entire fee, the Court must assess and, when funds exist, collect an
initial partial filing fee. After payment of the initial partial filing fee, the prisoner is required to
make monthly payments of 20 percent of the preceding month=s income credited to the prisoner=s
account. 28 U.S.C. ' 1915(b)(2). The agency having custody of the prisoner will forward these
monthly payments to the Clerk of Court each time the amount in the prisoner=s account exceeds
$10, until the filing fee is fully paid. Id. Plaintiff has not submitted a prison account statement.
As a result, the Court will require plaintiff to pay an initial partial filing fee of $1.00. See
Henderson v. Norris, 129 F.3d 481, 484 (8th Cir. 1997) (when a prisoner is unable to provide the
Court with a certified copy of his prison account statement, the Court should assess an amount
“that is reasonable, based on whatever information the court has about the prisoner=s finances.”).
If plaintiff is unable to pay the initial partial filing fee, he must submit a copy of his prison
account statement in support of his claim.
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pleading that offers “labels and conclusions” or “a formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause
of action will not do,” nor will a complaint suffice if it tenders bare assertions devoid of “further
factual enhancement.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009) (quoting Bell Atlantic Corp.
v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555 (2007)).
When conducting initial review pursuant to § 1915(e)(2), the Court must accept as true
the allegations in the complaint, and must give the complaint the benefit of a liberal construction.
Haines v. Kerner, 404 U.S. 519, 520 (1972). However, the tenet that a court must accept the
allegations as true does not apply to legal conclusions, Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678, and 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. U.S., 508 U.S. 106, 113 (1993). 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) (federal courts are not required to “assume facts that are not alleged, just because
an additional factual allegation would have formed a stronger complaint”).
The Complaint
Plaintiff brings this action pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 to redress violations of his civil
rights, and names “Unknown Sheriff” and “Circuit Court Judge” and “Mr. Sandy Martinez” as
defendants in the caption of his complaint.
The complaint is handwritten and difficult to decipher. However, it appears that plaintiff
is alleging that Circuit Judge Sandy Martinez purportedly violated his civil rights by allowing
Sheriff D.R. Bullock to arrest him for a probation violation.

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As currently written, the complaint is legally frivolous against Circuit Judge Sandy
Martinez because judges are “entitled to absolute immunity for all judicial actions that are not
‘taken in a complete absence of all jurisdiction.’” Penn v. United States, 335 F.3d 786, 789 (8th
Cir. 2003) (quoting Mireles v. Waco, 502 U.S. 9, 11-12 (1991)). Additionally, plaintiff has not
indicated that there was anything deficient in his arrest by Sheriff Bullock.2 Further, the
complaint is defective because it was not drafted on the Court’s form. See E.D. Mo. Local Rule
2.06(A).
Because plaintiff is proceeding pro se, the Court will allow him to file an amended
complaint. Plaintiff is warned that the filing of an amended complaint replaces the original
complaint, and so it must include all claims plaintiff wishes to bring. E.g., In re Wireless
Telephone Federal Cost Recovery Fees Litigation, 396 F.3d 922, 928 (8th Cir. 2005). Plaintiff
must submit the amended complaint on a court-provided form, and the amended complaint must
comply with Rules 8 and 10 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
In the “Caption” section of the amended complaint, plaintiff must state the first and last
name, to the extent he knows it, of each defendant he wishes to sue. Plaintiff should also
indicate whether he intends to sue each defendant in his or her individual capacity, official
capacity, or both.3
In the “Statement of Claim” section, plaintiff should begin by writing the first
defendant’s name. In separate, numbered paragraphs under that name, plaintiff should set forth

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The Court has reviewed Missouri.Case.Net and found that a warrant was issued for plaintiff’s
arrest on December 12, 2016, in State v. Achter, 13SF-CR01242-01 (24th Judicial Circuit, St.
Francois County), as a result of a purported probation violation. The warrant was served on
plaintiff on May 21, 2017, by the St. Francois County Sheriff’s Department. A probation
violation hearing is set for August 11, 2017.
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The failure to sue a defendant in his or her individual capacity may result in the dismissal of that
defendant.
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the specific factual allegations supporting his claim or claims against that defendant, as well as
the constitutional right or rights that defendant violated. Plaintiff should only include claims that
arise out of the same transaction or occurrence, or simply put, claims that are related to each
other. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 20(a)(2). Alternatively, plaintiff may choose a single defendant and
set forth as many claims as he has against that defendant. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 18(a).
If plaintiff is suing more than one defendant, he should proceed in the same manner with
each one, separately writing each individual defendant’s name and, under that name, in
numbered paragraphs, the allegations specific to that particular defendant and the right(s) that
defendant violated. Plaintiff’s failure to make specific and actionable allegations against any
defendant will result in that defendant’s dismissal from this case.
Accordingly,
IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that plaintiff’s motion to proceed in forma pauperis [Doc.
#2] is GRANTED.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that, within thirty (30) days of the date of this
Memorandum and Order, plaintiff must pay an initial filing fee of $1.00. Plaintiff is instructed to
make his remittance payable to “Clerk, United States District Court,” and to include upon it: (1)
his name; (2) his prison registration number; (3) the case number; and (4) the statement that the
remittance is for an original proceeding.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that, within thirty (30) days of the date of this
Memorandum and Order, plaintiff shall submit an amended complaint in accordance with the
instructions set forth herein.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the Clerk of Court shall mail to plaintiff a blank
Prisoner Civil Rights Complaint form. Plaintiff may request additional forms as needed.

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If plaintiff fails to timely comply with this Memorandum and Order, the Court will
dismiss this action without prejudice and without further notice.
Dated this 14th day of August, 2017.

STEPHEN N. LIMBAUGH, JR.
UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

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