Stills v. Ashiew, No. 2:2021cv00108 - Document 11 (E.D. Tenn. 2021)

Court Description: MEMORANDUM OPINION Plaintiff will be ASSESSED the filing fee of $400.00 and this action will be DISMISSED. The custodian of Plaintiff's inmate trust account will be DIRECTED to submit payments as set forth. Judgment Order to follow. Signed by District Judge J. Ronnie Greer on 9/23/21. (c/m Jake Ralph Stills GREENE COUNTY DETENTION CENTER 120 EAST DEPOT STREET GREENEVILLE, TN 37743 and Sheriff of Greene County, Tennessee)(ADA)

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Stills v. Ashiew Doc. 11 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF TENNESSEE AT GREENEVILLE JAKE RALPH STILLS, Plaintiff, v. ESTATE OF LYNN ASHIEW, WESLEY HOLT, CLARA NEASE, BECKY HUMPHREY, DIANE RHODES, DARYL BRYANT, ANGIE MARTIN, and CHRISTEN HUGES, Defendants. ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) No. 2:21-CV-00108-JRG-CRW MEMORANDUM OPINION Jake Ralph Stills, a prisoner proceeding pro se, has filed a motion seeking to proceed in forma pauperis in a civil rights action for violations of 42 U.S.C. §1983 [See Doc. 4]. Finding that the motion was not properly supported, the Court entered an Order on August July 23, 2021 [Doc. 6] and again on August 18, 2021 [Doc. 9], providing Plaintiff twenty-one (21) days within which to submit a certified copy of his inmate trust account for the previous six-month period. Plaintiff has not complied with the Court’s Orders, and the time for doing so has passed. Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 41(b), the Court may dismiss a case for a failure of the plaintiff “to prosecute or to comply with these rules or a court order.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 41(b); see also Knoll v. Am. Tel. & Tel. Co., 176 F.3d 359, 362-63 (6th Cir. 1999); see also Rogers v. City of Warren, 302 Fed. Appx. 371, 375 n.4 (6th Cir. 2008) (“Although Rule 41(b) does not expressly provide for a sua sponte dismissal (the rule actually provides for dismissal on defendant’s motion), it is well-settled that the district court can enter a sue sponte order of dismissal Dockets.Justia.com under Rule 41(b).” (citing Link v. Wabash R.R., 370 U.S. 626, 630 (1962))). The Court examines four factors when considering dismissal under Fed. R. Civ. P. 41(b): (1) whether the party’s failure is due to willfulness, bad faith, or fault; (2) whether the adversary was prejudiced by the dismissed party’s conduct; (3) whether the dismissed party was warned that failure to cooperate could lead to dismissal; and (4) whether less drastic sanctions were imposed or considered before dismissal was ordered. Wu v. T.W. Wang, Inc., 420 F.3d 641, 643 (6th Cir. 2005). First, Plaintiff’s failure to timely comply with the Court’s Orders appears to be due to Plaintiff’s willfulness or fault. Plaintiff has not alleged that he has attempted to comply with the Court’s specific Orders to produce a certified copy of his inmate account. Second, the Court finds that Plaintiff’s failure to comply with the Court’s order has not prejudiced Defendants, as they have not yet been served. Third, the Court twice expressly warned Plaintiff that a failure to timely submit a certified copy of his inmate trust account would result in the dismissal of this action [Doc. 6 at 2 and Doc. 9 at 2]. Finally, the Court concludes that alternative sanctions are not warranted, as Plaintiff has failed to comply with the Court’s clear instructions. On balance, these factors support dismissal of this action under Rule 41(b). Moreover, “while pro se litigants may be entitled to some latitude when dealing with sophisticated legal issues, acknowledging their lack of formal training, there is no cause for extending this margin to straightforward procedural requirements that a layperson can comprehend as easily as a lawyer.” Jourdan v. Jabe, 951 F.2d 108, 109 (6th Cir. 1991). Plaintiff’s pro se status did not prevent him from complying with the Court’s Order, and Plaintiff’s pro se status does not mitigate the balancing of factors under Rule 41(b). Accordingly, Plaintiff will be ASSESSED the filing fee of $400.00 and this action will be DISMISSED. The custodian of Plaintiff’s inmate trust account will be DIRECTED to submit to 2 the Clerk, U.S. District Court, 220 West Depot Street, Suite 200, Greeneville, Tennessee, 37743, twenty percent (20%) of Plaintiff’s preceding monthly income (or income credited to his trust account for the preceding month), but only when such monthly income exceeds $10.00, until the full filing fee of $400.00 has been paid to the Clerk’s Office. McGore v. Wrigglesworth, 114 F.3d 601, 607 (6th Cir. 1997), overruled on other grounds by Jones v. Bock, 549 U.S. 199 (2007). To ensure compliance with the fee-collection procedure, the Clerk will be DIRECTED to provide a copy of this Memorandum Opinion and the accompanying Order to the Court’s financial deputy and the Sheriff of Greene County, Tennessee. This Order shall be placed in Plaintiff’s institutional file and follow him if he is transferred to another correctional facility. The Court CERTIFIES that any appeal from this action would not be taken in good faith and would be totally frivolous. 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(3); Fed. R. App. P. 24(a). AN APPROPRIATE JUDGMENT ORDER WILL ENTER. ENTER: s/J. RONNIE GREER UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE 3

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