Cooper v. Shelby County Jail

Filing 11

ORDER DIRECTING PLAINTIFF TO FILE A NON-PRISONER IN FORMA PAUPERIS AFFIDAVIT OR PAY THE $400 CIVIL FILING FEE. Signed by Chief Judge S. Thomas Anderson on 10/11/17. (mbm)

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF TENNESSEE
WESTERN DIVISION
DETROY COOPER,
Plaintiff,
VS.
SHELBY COUNTY JAIL,
Defendant.

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No. 16-2800-STA-egb

ORDER DIRECTING PLAINTIFF TO FILE A NON-PRISONER IN FORMA PAUPERIS
AFFIDAVIT OR PAY THE $400 CIVIL FILING FEE

On October 5, 2016, Plaintiff Detroy Cooper, who at the time of filing was incarcerated
at the Shelby County Correctional Center in Memphis, Tennessee, filed pro se a Complaint
pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983, accompanied by a motion to proceed in forma pauperis. (ECF
Nos. 1 & 2.) After receiving the appropriate documentation, on November 10, 2016, the Court
granted Cooper leave to proceed in forma pauperis and assessed the civil filing fee pursuant to
the Prison Litigation Reform Act (“PLRA”), 28 U.S.C. §§ 1915(a)-(b). (ECF No. 7.) On July
12, 2017, Cooper notified the Court that his address had been changed indicating that Cooper is
no longer incarcerated. (ECF No. 9.)
Under the Prison Litigation Reform Act, 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b), a prisoner bringing a civil
action must pay the filing fee required by 28 U.S.C. § 1914(a). The statute merely provides the
prisoner the opportunity to make a “downpayment” of a partial filing fee and pay the remainder
in installments. However, in this case, the filing fee was not paid prior to Plaintiff’s release.
Under these circumstances, the Sixth Circuit has held that, “[a]fter release, the obligation to pay
the remainder of the fees is to be determined solely on the question of whether the released

individual qualifies for pauper status.” McGore v. Wrigglesworth, 114 F.3d 601, 613 (6th Cir.
1997), partially overruled on other grounds by LaFountain v. Harry, 716 F.3d 944, 951 (6th Cir.
2013). Therefore, Cooper is ORDERED to submit either the five-page non-prisoner in forma
pauperis affidavit or the entire $400 filing fee1 within 30 days after the date of this order. The
Clerk shall mail Cooper a copy of the non-prisoner in forma pauperis affidavit form along with
this order.
Failure to comply with this order in a timely manner will result in the dismissal of this
action without further notice, pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 41(b), for failure to
prosecute.
IT IS SO ORDERED.
s/ S. Thomas Anderson
S. THOMAS ANDERSON
CHIEF UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE
Date: October 11, 2017

1

Twenty-eight U.S.C. § 1914(a) requires a civil filing fee of $350. In addition, § 1914(b)
requires the clerk to “collect from the parties such additional fees . . . as are prescribed by the
Judicial Conference of the United States.” The Judicial Conference has prescribed an additional
administrative fee of $50 for filing any civil case, except for cases seeking habeas corpus and
cases in which the plaintiff is granted leave to proceed in forma pauperis under 28 U.S.C.
§ 1915. Therefore, if Plaintiff submits a non-prisoner affidavit and the Court finds that he still
qualifies for pauper status, he will not be responsible for the additional $50 fee.
2