The opinion
FILED
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT OCT .2 1 2009
FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Clerk, U.S. District and
Bankruptcy Courts
Hildagarde Webster, )
)
Plaintiff, )
v.
)
) Civil Action No. 09 1997
)
Sidney Brown, )
)
Defendant. )
MEMORANDUM OPINION
This matter is before the Court on plaintiffs pro se complaint and application to proceed
in forma pauperis. The Court will grant plaintiffs application and dismiss the complaint for lack
of subject matter jurisdiction.
The subject matter jurisdiction of the federal district courts is limited and is set forth
generally at 28 U.S.c. §§ 1331 and 1332. Under those statutes, federal jurisdiction is available
only when a "federal question" is presented or the parties are of diverse citizenship and the
amount in controversy exceeds $75,000. A party seeking relief in the district court must at least
plead facts that bring the suit within the court's jurisdiction. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a). Failure to
plead such facts warrants dismissal of the action. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(h)(3).
Plaintiff, a resident of Suitland, Maryland, sues a resident of the District of Columbia for
harassment stemming from an alleged personal relationship between the parties. The complaint
neither presents a federal question nor provides a basis for diversity jurisdiction because no
amount in controversy is pleaded. Accordingly, the complaint will be dismissed. A separate
Order accompanies this Memorandum Opinion.
Date: October R, 2009 ~~--
Distric~
United States