a plaintiff's "[f]actual allegations must be enough to raise a right to relief above the speculative level .... "
How later courts described this case
- a plaintiff's "[f]actual allegations must be enough to raise a right to relief above the speculative level .... "
Written by the judges who cited it.
The opinion
FILED
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
SEP -1 2011
Clerk, U S Dj trl
Courts fo'r ihe tlsf~c&t BfanCkruptcy
) o olumbla
Shawn Martin Finch, )
)
Plaintiff, )
)
v. ) Civil Action No. {1
)
Kim R. Gibson, )
)
Defendant. )
)
MEMORANDUM OPINION
This matter is before the Court on review of the plaintifTs complaint and application for
leave to proceed in forma pauperis. The Court will grant the in forma pauperis application and
dismiss the case because the complaint fails to meet the minimal pleading requirements of Rule
8(a) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
Pro se litigants must comply with the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Jarrell v. Tisch,
656 F. Supp. 237, 239 (D.D.C. 1987). Rule 8(a) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure requires
complaints to contain "(1) a short and plain statement of the grounds for the court's jurisdiction
[and] (2) a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief."
Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a); see Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 1950 (2009); Oralsky v. CIA, 355
F.3d 661, 668-71 (D.C. Cir. 2004). The Rule 8 standard ensures that defendants receive fair
notice of the claim being asserted so that they can prepare a responsive answer and an adequate
defense and determine whether the doctrine of res judicata applies. Brown v. Califano, 75
F.R.D. 497, 498 (D.D.C. 1977).
N 3
The plaintiff is a District of Columbia resident suing an individual in Johnstown,
Pennsylvania. In the cryptic complaint captioned "Action Involves Discrimination," the plaintiff
claims violations of the first, eighth and ninth amendments to the Constitution and the "Civil
Rights Act of 1964 Title III ... [d]ue to dismissal of cases and denying a fair hearing."
Complaint at 1. The plaintiff has stated no supporting facts. He therefore has failed to provide
the defendant with any notice of a claim. See Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 555 U.S. 544, 555
(2007) (a plaintiff's "[f]actual allegations must be enough to raise a right to relief above the
speculative level .... ") (citations omitted). A separate Order of dismissal accompanies this
Memorandum Opinion.
Date: 4U 3,2011
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