Opinion

Rajkovic v. Holder

Court
District Court, District of Columbia
Filed
May 28, 2014
Status
Published
On the bench
Judge Beryl A. Howell
Nature of suit
Civil
Cited by
0 cases
Authority
More cited than 31.8%

The opinion

FT[ED

MAY 2 8 2014

C|ork, U.S. DI tr|ct& B nkruptcy

UNITED STATES DISTR'ICT COURT C|Jlll’i$ forthei]istrlct of Co|umbla

FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

LJUBICA RAJKOVIC,

Plaintiff,

v. Civil Action No. /" "

ERIC H. HOLDER, JR., et al.,

Defendants.

'\\_/\_/\_/\.,_/§/\_/\_/\_/H_/

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 plaintiffs 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 F ederal 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. Calij"ono, 75 F.R.D. 497, 498 (D.D.C. 1977).

According to plaintiff, defendants are responsible for allowing Milisa Petronijevic to

enter the United States, to work at the Library of Congress, and to perpetrate crimes against

plaintiff and her family. Compl. 1]1| 4-7. For example, plaintiff alleges that Petronijevic is

responsible for "serious deprivation of the plaintiffs and her family’s rights," and for “killing

members of the plaintiff’s family and family acquaintances in the U.S.A." Id. 1 7. She further

alleges that "[t]he F.B.I./CIA and other intelligence [and] private people and covert actions are

under negotiations to become legal out of their illegal conception/against the law." Id. 1 9. In

this action, "[t]he plaintiff is seeking civil liabilities she is entitled to recover under 18 U.S.C. §

zzsi(b)(i) and 50 U.S.C. § 1310.“ 1¢1.1110.

lt does not appear that the statutory provisions on which plaintiff relies apply to this case.

'I`he fenner provides that a person convicted of certain interstate domestic violence offenses

"shall be . . . imprisoned for life or any term of years, if death of a victim results." 18 U.S.C. §

2261 (b)(l). It is not clear that plaintiff has been the victim of domestic violence. Similarly, the

latter pertains to damages for victims of certain forms of electronic surveillance, see 50 U.S.C. §

18]0, and plaintiff does not allege that she has been subjected to such surveillance. Furthermore,

the complaint fails to include a short and plain statement of plaintiff s entitlement to relief. in

other words, plaintiff does not articulate a connection between the actions or omissions of the

named defendants and the hanns she has suffered at the hands of Petronijevic. As drafted, the

complaint fails to comply with Rule S(a), and it will be dismissed.

An Order consistent with this Memorandum Opinion is issued separately.

7

United States District Judge §/;/ZD

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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