Patton v. Douglas et al

Filing 4

ORDER: The Application 2 is Granted. Plaintiff is hereby assessed the full $350 filing fee. The Court finds that the complaint fails to state a claim for which relief may be granted. The complaint is therefore DISMISSED. Signed by District Judge Todd J. Campbell on 4/18/14. (xc:Pro se party by regular and certified mail. Warden by regular Mail.)(DOCKET TEXT SUMMARY ONLY-ATTORNEYS MUST OPEN THE PDF AND READ THE ORDER.)(dt)

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE MIDDLE DISTRICT OF TENNESSEE
NASHVILLE DIVISION

DEVIEST LAWAN PATTON,
Plaintiff,
v.
CORRECTION CORPORATION OF AMERICA
et al.,
Defendants.

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Case No. 3:14-cv-00893
Judge Campbell

ORDER
Plaintiff Deviest Lawan Patton, a state prisoner, has submitted a civil complaint under 42 U.S.C. §
1983, seeking damages and equitable relief. The plaintiff’s application to proceed in forma pauperis (ECF
No. 2) is before the Court. In addition, the complaint is before the Court for an initial review pursuant to the
Prison Litigation Reform Act (“PLRA”), 28 U.S.C. §§ 1915(e)(2) and 1915A, and 42 U.S.C. § 1997e.
A.

The Application to Proceed as a Pauper

Under the PLRA, 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a), a prisoner bringing a civil action may be permitted to file suit
without prepaying the filing fee required by 28 U.S.C. § 1914(a). Because the plaintiff properly submitted an
in forma pauperis affidavit and a certified trust fund account statement, as required by 28 U.S.C. §
1915(a)(2), and because it appears from his submissions that the plaintiff lacks sufficient financial resources
from which to pay the full filing fee in advance, the application (ECF No. 2) is GRANTED.
However, under § 1915(b), the plaintiff nonetheless remains responsible for paying the full filing fee.
The obligation to pay the fee accrues at the time the case is filed, but the PLRA provides prisoner-plaintiffs
the opportunity to make a “down payment” of a partial filing fee and to pay the remainder in installments.
Accordingly, the plaintiff is hereby assessed the full $350 filing fee, to be paid as follows:
(1) The custodian of the plaintiff’s inmate trust fund account at the institution where he now resides
is DIRECTED to submit to the Clerk of Court, as an initial payment, “20 percent of the greater of – (a) the
average monthly deposits to the plaintiff’s account; or (b) the average monthly balance in the plaintiff’s

account for the 6-month period immediately preceding the filing of the complaint.” 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(1).
(2) After the initial filing fee is fully paid, the trust fund officer must withdraw from the plaintiff’s
account and pay to the Clerk of this Court monthly payments equal to 20% of all deposits credited to the
plaintiff’s account during the preceding month, but only when the amount in the account exceeds $10. Such
payments must continue until the entire $350 filing fee is paid in full. 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(2).
(3) Each time the trust account officer makes a payment to this court as required by this order, he
must print a copy of the prisoner’s account statement showing all activity in the account since the last
payment made in accordance with this order and submit it to the Clerk along with the payment. All
submissions to the court must clearly identify the plaintiff’s name and the case number as indicated on the
first page of this order, and must be mailed to: Clerk, United States District Court, Middle District of
Tennessee, 801 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203.
The Clerk of Court is DIRECTED send a copy of this order to the Warden of the Metro-Davidson
County Detention Facility, where the plaintiff is presently incarcerated, to ensure that the custodian of the
plaintiff’s inmate trust account complies with that portion of 28 U.S.C. § 1915 pertaining to the payment of
the filing fee. If the plaintiff is transferred from his present place of confinement, the custodian of his inmate
trust fund account MUST ensure that a copy of this order follows the plaintiff to his new place of confinement
for continued compliance with this order.
B.

Dismissal of the Complaint

For purposes of the initial review required by the PLRA, 28 U.S.C. §§ 1915(e)(2) and 1915A, and
42 U.S.C. § 1997e, the Court finds that the complaint fails to state a claim for which relief may be granted.
The complaint is therefore DISMISSED.
The same considerations that lead the Court to dismiss this case for failure to state a claim also
compel the conclusion that an appeal would not be taken in good faith. It is therefore CERTIFIED, pursuant
to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(3), that any appeal in this matter by the plaintiff would not be taken in good faith, and
the plaintiff will not be granted leave by this Court to proceed on appeal in forma pauperis.

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Should the plaintiff nonetheless decide to file a notice of appeal, he must either pay the Clerk of
Court the full appellate filing fee of $505.00 or submit a new application to proceed in forma pauperis with
a certified copy of his inmate trust account statement for the previous six month period. 28 U.S.C. §
1915(a)(1).
It is so ORDERED.

Todd Campbell
United States District Judge

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