Malone v. Lang ( 2010 )

FILED
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
NOV - 4 2010
Clerk, U.S. District & Bankruptcy
Courts for the District of Columbia
)
Joan F. M. Malone, )
)
Plaintiff, )
)
v. ) Civil Action No. 10 1896
)
James A. Lang et al., )
)
Defendants. )
)
MEMORANDUM OPINION
This matter is before the Court on its initial review of plaintiff s pro se 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).
Plaintiff, a District of Columbia resident, sues individuals in Maryland and New Jersey
for "extortion, involuntary manslaughter resulting in the death of [her aunt]." CompI. at 1. The
remainder of the complaint consists mostly of disjointed words and phrases and, thus, fails to
provide any notice of a claim against the named defendants and the basis for federal court
jurisdiction. J A separate Order of dismissal accompanies this Memorandum Opinion.
Date: November~, 2010
J This complaint is one of five such submissions received by the Clerk's Office on the
same day. Each complaint names a different set of defendants but is otherwise the same.
Moreover, the Court recently dismissed another of plaintiff's complaints as frivolous. Malone v.
Us. President Barack Obama, No. 10-1826 (D.D.C. Oct. 28, 2010). Plaintiff is warned that her
persistence in filing similar lawsuits may result in the Court imposing restrictions on her ability
to file cases in this Court.
2