The opinion
FILED
SEP 1 5 2011
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Courts for the Diszric; of g’;;'d‘r;]tbia
SHIRLEY HAUGH, )
Plaintiff, §
v. § Civil Action No. ‘(4
WILLIAM McCORKLE, et al., §
Defendants. §
MEMORANDUM OPINION
This matter comes before the court on review of plaintiff’s application to proceed in
forma pauperis and pro se civil complaint. The court will grant the application, and dismiss the
complaint.
The Court has reviewed plaintiff s complaint, keeping in mind that complaints filed by
pro se litigants are held to less stringent standards than those applied to formal pleadings drafted
by lawyers. See Haines v. Kerner, 404 U.S. 519, 520 (1972). Even pro se litigants, however,
must comply with the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Jarrell v. Tisch, 656 F. Supp. 237, 239
(D.D.C. 1987). Rule S(a) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure requires that a complaint
contain a short and plain statement of the grounds upon which the court’s jurisdiction depends, a
short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief and a demand
for judgment for the relief the pleader seeks. Fed. R. Civ. P. S(a). The purpose of the minimum
standard of Rule 8 is to give fair notice to the defendants of the claim being asserted, sufficient to
prepare a responsive answer, to prepare an adequate defense and to determine whether the
doctrine of res judicata applies. Brown v. Calzfano, 75 F.R.D. 497, 498 (D.D.C. 1977).
Plaintiff purports to bring a civil action against the federal government "for the death of
[her] son [who] was shot on the streets of Washington D.C." Compl. at l. She neither identifies
the named defendants nor supplies addresses for them. Wholly absent from the pleading are any
factual allegations to support her claim, and without additional information the defendants do not
have fair notice of the claims asserted or the relief demanded. The complaint fails to comply
with Rule S(a) and it will be dismissed.
An Order consistent with this Memorandum Opinion is issued separately.
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