Opinion

Murray v. Johnson

Court
District Court, District of Columbia
Filed
Feb 20, 2018
Status
Published
On the bench
Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly
Nature of suit
Civil
Cited by
0 cases
Authority
More cited than 4.2%

The opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

MARION DENNIS MURRAY, SR.,

Plaintiff,

v. Civil Action No. 18-0122 (CKK)

WARDEN GLEN JOHNSON, et al.,

Defendants.

MEMORANDUM OPINION

The Court has reviewed the plaintiffs pro se complaint, keeping in mind that pleadings

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. 5 l9, 520 (1972). Nevertheless, pro se

litigants, too, must comply With the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Jarrell v. Tz'sch, 656 F.

Supp. 237, 239 (D.D.C. 1987). Rule 8(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. 8(a); see Ashcroft v.

Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678-79 (2009). The purpose of the minimum standard of Rule 8 is to give

fair notice to the defendants of the claims 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. Califano, 75 F.R.D. 497, 498 (D.D.C. 1977).

This complaint contains no factual allegations Whatsoever. Rather, the complaint is an

incomprehensible mix of disj ointed phrases, legal terms, and partial citations to statutes, case

law, and other legal authority. As drafted, the complaint does not comply with Rule 8(a) and it

will be dismissed

An Order is issued separately.

w §

DATE; February§L/J, 2018 CQQZQ ¢p@a\» VQM

COLLEEN KOLLAR KOTELLY

United States District Court Judge

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.

A word about cookies

We need a few to keep you signed in and the library working. The rest help us see which pages people use and where they get stuck. They stay off unless you say yes.