Opinion

CADEJUSTE

Court
District Court, N.D. Florida
Filed
May 14, 2026
Cited by
0 cases
Authority
More cited than 41.0%

noting that a “prisoner must pay the full filing fee at the time he initiates suit”

How later courts described this case

  • noting that a “prisoner must pay the full filing fee at the time he initiates suit”

Written by the judges who cited it.

The opinion

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA

TALLAHASSEE DIVISION

MARCO THONY CADEJUSTE,

Plaintiff,

v. Case No. 4:26-cv-205-TKW/MJF

J. DEAN, et al.,

Defendants.

/

REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION

Plaintiff has filed a complaint under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and a motion

for leave to proceed in forma pauperis. Docs. 1, 2. Because Plaintiff has

incurred three “strikes” and is barred by 28 U.S.C. § 1915(g) from

proceeding in forma pauperis, the District Court should dismiss this case.

BACKGROUND

Plaintiff is an inmate of the Florida Department of Corrections

(“FDC”) whom the FDC is confining at the Santa Rosa Correctional

Institution. Doc. 1. Plaintiff alleges that Defendants violated the Eighth

Amendment when they injured him and denied him medical care. Id.

DISCUSSION

Under the so-called “three-strikes rule” in 28 U.S.C. § 1915(g), a

prisoner is prohibited from proceeding in forma pauperis if the prisoner

maliciousness, or failure to state a claim. 28 U.S.C. § 1915(g); see Lomax

v. Ortiz-Marquez, 140 S. Ct. 1721, 1723 (2020). A prisoner who is barred

from proceeding in forma pauperis must pay the filing fee at the time he

initiates his lawsuit, and failure to do so warrants dismissal of his case

without prejudice. Dupree v. Palmer, 284 F.3d 1234, 1236 (11th Cir. 2002)

(noting that a “prisoner must pay the full filing fee at the time he initiates

suit”) (quoting Vanderberg v. Donaldson, 259 F.3d 1321, 1324 (11th Cir.

2001)).

Plaintiff has incurred at least three strikes under section 1915(g):

• Cadejuste v. Dade Corr. Inst., et al., No. 1:25-cv-25355-RS

(M.D. Fla.) (dismissing Plaintiff’s complaint as a “shotgun”

pleading that failed to state a plausible claim for relief);

• Cadejuste v. City of Ft. Pierce, et al., No. 2:23-cv-14274-DMM

(M.D. Fla.) (dismissing Plaintiff’s complaint for failure to

state a plausible claim for relief); and

• Cadejuste v. Inch, et al., No. 4:21-cv-290-WS-MAF (N.D. Fla.)

(dismissing Plaintiff’s complaint as frivolous).

Because Plaintiff has incurred at least three strikes, Plaintiff may

not litigate this case in forma pauperis unless he shows that he is “under

imminent danger of serious physical injury.” 28 U.S.C. § 1915(g); Brown

v. Johnson, 387 F.3d 1344, 1349 (11th Cir. 2004). To fall within this

exception, Plaintiff’s complaint must include “specific, credible

Bureau of Prisons, 635 F.3d 1172, 1179 (10th Cir. 2011) (quotation

omitted). General allegations are insufficient to invoke section 1915(g)’s

exception. See Martin v. Shelton, 319 F.3d 1048, 1050 (8th Cir. 2003).

Plaintiff alleges only that he suffered one incident of past

mistreatment—in January 2026—and does not allege any ongoing

mistreatment. Thus, Plaintiff fails to allege that he is in “imminent”

danger of serious physical injury. Accordingly, Plaintiff is barred from

proceeding in forma pauperis.

CONCLUSION

For the reasons set forth above, the undersigned respectfully

RECOMMENDS that the District Court:

1. DISMISS this action without prejudice pursuant to 28 U.S.C.

§ 1915(g).

2. DIRECT the clerk of the court to terminate all pending

motions and to close this case file.

At Pensacola, Florida, this 14th day of May 2026.

/s/ Michael J. Frank

Michael J. Frank

United States Magistrate Judge

The District Court referred this case to a magistrate

judge to address dispositive matters. See N.D. Fla. Loc.

R. 72.2; see also 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1)(B), (C); Fed. R. Civ.

P. 72(b). Objections to these proposed findings and

recommendations must be filed within fourteen days.

An objecting party must serve a copy of the objections

on all other parties. A party who fails to object to the

magistrate judge’s findings or recommendations

contained in a report and recommendation waives the

right to challenge on appeal the District Court’s order

based on unobjected-to factual and legal conclusions.

See 11th Cir. Rule 3-1; 28 U.S.C. § 636. The parties also

are advised that if they dispute the accuracy of any

facts taken from judicially-noticed documents, they

must raise this issue in an objection to this report and

recommendation.

This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.

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