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`Case 1:07-cv-00725-WMS Document 4 Filed 12/03/07 Page 1 of 12
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`-PS-O-
`
`EmTEE£_a Lg
`
`‘
`
`07~cv—0725s
`onnnn
`
`UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
`WESTERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK
`
`LISA SUSAN COLLINS,
`
`Plaintiff,
`
`—v—
`
`'
`
`VICE PRESIDENT DICK CHENEY,
`PRESIDENT BUSH, and UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT,
`
` .j.
`
`Defendants.
`
`INTRODUCTION
`
`Plaintiff, Lisa Collins, has filed what is her fifth complaint
`
`(Docket No. 1) filed in this Court within the last few months, and
`
`an application to proceed in forma _pauperis
`
`(Docket No.
`
`2).1
`
`Plaintiff's complaint names President Bush, Vice President Cheney
`
`and the United States as defendants and the claims set
`
`forth
`
`therein are not comprehensible.
`
`In the section of
`
`the form
`
`complaint that requires plaintiff to identify the defendants, she
`
`states
`
`that
`
`one
`
`of
`
`the
`
`defendants
`
`is
`
`“President Bush
`
`in
`
`acknowledgment of Lynn Collins Sterling Gold Bush," whom appears to
`
`be the sister of plaintiff.
`
`(Complaint, Section 3).
`
`The section
`
`of the complaint entitled “Statement of Claim," sets forth some
`
`words and phrases, none of which, however,
`
`
`form a complete sentence
`
`1The four other actions filed in this Court previously were: Collins v.
`Collins, 07—CV—O0439S; Collins V. Banks, O7-CV—O458S; Collins V. Bram, et al.,
`O7—CV-04938; and Collins V. Kowalski, et al., 07—CV-05098. The first action, 07-
`CV—0439S, was dismissed because
`the Court did not
`have
`subject matter
`jurisdiction over the claims alleged in the complaint.
`The other three were
`dismissed as frivolous pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2)(B).
`
`
`
` -—
`
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`or coherent thought.
`
`(LQL, Section 5).
`
`It is clear to the Court
`
`that
`
`the
`
`instant
`
`complaint,
`
`like those previously filed by
`
`plaintiff,
`
`is frivolous and must be dismissed. Accordingly,
`
`for
`
`the reasons discussed below, plaintiff's request to proceed as a
`
`poor person is granted and the complaint is dismissed as frivolous
`
`pursuant to 28 U.S.C.
`
`§ l9l5(e)(2)(B)(i).
`
`DISCUSSION
`
`A.
`
`28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2)(B)
`
`Because plaintiff has met
`
`the statutory requirements of
`
`28 U.S.C. § l9l5(a), she is granted permission to proceed in forma
`
`pauperis.
`
`Section 1915(e)(2)(B) of 28 U.S.C. provides that
`
`the
`
`Court shall dismiss a case in which in forma pauperis status has
`
`been granted if the Court determines
`
`that
`
`the action (i)
`
`is
`
`frivolous or malicious;
`
`(ii)
`
`fails to state a claim upon which
`
`relief may be granted; or (iii)
`
`seeks monetary relief against a
`
`defendant who is immune from such relief. Section 1915 “provide[s]
`
`an efficient means by which a court can screen for and dismiss
`
`legally insufficient claims.” Abbas v. Dixon, 480 F.3d 636, 639
`
`(2d Cir. 2007)
`
`(citing Shakur v. Selsky, 391 F.3d 106, 112 (2d Cir.
`
`2004)).
`
`In evaluating the complaint,
`
`the Court must accept as true all
`
`of
`
`the
`
`factual allegations
`
`and must
`
`draw all
`
`inferences
`
`in
`
`plaintiff's favor.
`
`See Larkin v. Savage,
`
`318 F.3d 138, 139
`
`(2d
`
`
`
`IIIIIIIIIIII-----————————————~»
`
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`Cir. 2003)
`
`(per curiam). Moreover, “a court is obliged to construe
`
`[pro se] pleadings liberally, particularly when they allege civil
`
`rights violations.” McEachin v. McGuinnis, 357 F.3d 197, 200 (2d
`
`Cir. 2004). Nevertheless, even pleadings submitted pro Se must
`
`meet
`
`the notice requirements of Rule 8 of the Federal Rules of
`
`Civil Procedure.
`
`W nder v. McMahon, 360 F.3d 73 (2d Cir. 2004).
`
`the plaintiff must provide the
`Thus, “[t]o survive dismissal,
`grounds upon which his claim rests through factual allegations
`
`sufficient
`
`‘to raise a
`
`right
`
`to relief above
`
`the speculative
`
`level.’” ATSI Communications,
`
`Inc. v. Shaar Fund, Ltd., 493 F.3d
`
`87, 98 (2d Cir. 2007)
`
`(quoting Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, ——— U.S.
`
`—~-—, ————, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 1965 (2007). Generally,
`
`the Court will
`
`afford a pro se plaintiff an opportunity to amend or to be heard
`
`prior to dismissal “unless the court can rule out any possibility,
`
`however unlikely it ndght be,
`
`that an amended complaint would
`
`succeed in stating a claim.” Abbas, 480 F.3d at 639 (quoting Gomez
`
`V. USAA Federal Savings Bank, l7l F.3d 794, 796 (2d Cir. 1999) {per
`
`curiam )).
`
`Although the plaintiff believes her rights have been infringed
`
`in some manner, it is impossible to determine from the complaint
`
`the nature of plaintiff's claims or the involvement of the named
`
`defendants in the alleged constitutional violations.
`
`The same statute that allows a litigant to commence a civil or
`
`criminal action in federal court
`
`in forma pauperis "authorizes
`
`
`
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`federal courts to dismiss a claim filed in forms pauperis
`
`‘if
`
`satisfied that the action is frivolous or malicious.'" Neitzke V.
`
`Williams, 490 U.S. 319, 324 (1989), citing to what is now 28 U.S.C.
`
`§ l915(e}.
`
`to
`largely
`designed
`is
`l915[e}
`Section
`of
`filing of,
`and waste
`discourage
`the
`judicial and private resources upon, baseless
`lawsuits that paying litigants generally do
`not initiate because of the costs of bringing
`suits and because of the threat of sanctions
`for bringing vexatious suits under Federal
`Rule of Civil Procedure 11.
`To this end,
`the
`statute accords judges not only the authority
`to dismiss a claim based on an indisputably
`meritless legal
`theory, but also the unusual
`power
`to pierce the veil of
`the complaint‘s
`factual allegations and dismiss those claims
`whose
`factual
`contentions
`are
`clearly
`baseless.
`Examples of
`the former class are
`claims against which it
`is clear
`that
`the
`defendants are immune from suit ... and claims
`
`interest which
`legal
`a
`infringement of
`of
`Examples of the
`clearly does not exist....
`latter class are claims describing fantastic
`or delusional
`scenarios,
`claims with which
`federal district judges are all too familiar.
`
`Id. at 327-28 (citations omitted).
`
`frivolousness determination,
`[T]he § l9l5[e]
`sua
`sponte
`before
`the
`frequently made
`defendant has
`even been asked to file an
`
`answer, cannot serve as a factfinding process
`for
`the resolution of disputed facts.
`...
`[A] court may dismiss a claim as
`factuall
`frivolous
`only if
`the
`facts
`alleged are
`"clearly baselessfl'
`a category encompassing
`allegations that are "fanciful," "fantastic,"
`and "delusional."
`As
`those words suggest,
`a
`finding
`of
`factual
`frivolousness
`is
`appropriate when the facts alleged rise to the
`level
`of
`the
`irrational
`or
`the wholly
`incredible,
`whether
`or
`not
`there
`are
`
`
`
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`judicially noticeable
`contradict them.
`
`facts
`
`available
`
`to
`
`Qentgn_y;wflernange;, 504 U.S. 25, 32-33 (1992)
`
`(quoting Neitzke,
`
`490 U.S. at 327.
`
`Plaintiff's claims are precisely the type of "fantastic" or
`
`"delusional" allegations that warrant dismissal under 28 U.S.C.
`
`§ l9l5(e)(2)(B)(i) as factually frivolous. Moreover, while the
`
`usual practice is to grant leave to replead a deficient complaint,
`
`see Fed.R.Civ.P.
`
`?——:—
`l5(a); see also Ronzani v. Sanofi S.A., 899 F.2d
`
`195,
`
`198
`
`(2d Cir. 1990), especially where a complaint has been
`
`submitted pro se, Davidson v. Flynn, 32 F.3d 27, 31 (2d Cir. 1994),
`
`such leave may be denied where amendment would be futile, such as
`
`in this case.
`
`B.
`
`SANCTIONS
`
`As set forth in footnote 1, supra, plaintiff has filed four
`
`other actions in this Court since July of this year, all of which
`
`have been dismissed on initial
`
`review, pursuant
`
`to 28 U.S.C.
`
`§
`
`l9l5(e)(2)(B). Because of the wholly frivolous and, what can best
`
`be described as, delusional nature of the complaints filed in this
`
`Court, plaintiff will be precluded from filing any further actions
`
`of any type in this Court without first obtaining permission from
`
`the Court.
`
`The need and justification for a sanction of
`
`this type is
`
`well-documented above and needs no further elaboration.
`
`The fact
`
`5
`
`
`
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`that plaintiff is pro se does not protect her from the imposition
`
`of sanctions when necessary and appropriate to deter baseless
`
`filings. ggg DePonceau V. Bush, 04-CV~6240CJS(Fe), 2004 WL 1574621,
`
`at *3
`
`(W.D.N.Y.
`
`June 4, 2004)
`
`(citations omitted).
`
`It is well-
`
`established that the federal courts “have both the inherent power
`
`and the constitutional obligation to protect
`
`their jurisdiction
`
`from conduct which impairs their ability to carry out Article III
`
`functions."
`
`In re McDonald, 489 U.S. 180, 184 n.
`
`8
`
`(quoting In re
`
`Martin-Trigona, 737 F.2d 1254, 1261 (2d Cir.), cert. denied 474
`
`U.S. 1061 (1986)). The Supreme Court and our Court of Appeals have
`
`made it clear that “a district court has inherent authority to
`
`sanction parties appearing before it
`
`for acting in bad faith,
`
`vexatiously, wantonly, or for oppressive reasons."
`
`Sassower V.
`
`Field,
`
`973 F.2d 75, 80-81 (2d Cir.)
`
`(citing Chambers v. NASCO,
`
`Inc., 501 U.S. 32, 44-45), cert. denied 507 U.S. 1043 (1993)).
`
`Sanctions under Rule
`
`11 of
`
`the Federal Rules of Civil
`
`Procedure may also be
`
`imposed upon a pro se litigant who continues
`
`to file frivolous or baseless claims and petitions. Mendoza v.
`
`Lynaugh, 989 F.2d 191 (5“ Cir. 1993); DePonceau, 2004 WL 1574621,
`
`at *3; Young v. Corbin, 889 F. Supp.
`
`582
`
`(N.D.N.Y. 1995).
`
`The
`
`Supreme Court has stated that “the central purpose of Rule 11 is to
`
`deter baseless filings in District Court and .
`
`.
`
`. streamline the
`
`administration and procedure of the federal courts.” Cooter & Gell
`
`v. Hartmarx Corp., 496 U.S. 384, 393 (1990)
`
`(citation omitted); see
`
`
`
`
`
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`Case 1:07—cv—00725—WMS Document 4 Filed 12/03/07 Page 7 of 12
`
`algg flilliam§_y;_Be1l9n_Qg;, 156 F.R.D. 39, 43 (S.D.N.Y. 1994)
`
`(The
`
`purpose of Rule 11 is to check abuses which cause “the waste of
`
`judicial resources and resulting inefficiencies and delays that
`
`affect all actual and potential litigants in the federal courts.”)
`
`(citations omitted).
`
`An attorney or unrepresented party may be
`
`sanctioned for
`
`violating Rule
`
`11
`
`by motion or
`
`by
`
`the Court
`
`upon
`
`its own
`
`initiative.
`
`Fed. R. Civ. P. 1l{c)(1)(B).
`
`In the face of
`
`the plaintiff's continuing propensity for
`
`filing frivolous and obviously baseless actions in this Court, it
`
`becomes necessary for the Court
`
`to
`
`impose appropriate sanctions
`
`pursuant to Rule 11 and the Court's inherent authority to “fashion
`
`an appropriate sanction for conduct which abuses
`
`the judicial
`
`process." Doctor's Assocs. v. Distajo, 66 F.3d 438, 456 (2d Cir.
`
`1995)
`
`(quoting Chambers V. Nasco,
`
`501 U.S. at
`
`44—45.)
`
`When
`
`confronted with a_pro se litigant such as the plaintiff, the courts
`
`have in appropriate instances responded by completely enjoining him
`
`-from the filing of certain categories of cases.
`
`See, e.g.,
`
`In re
`
`McDonald, 489 U.S. at
`
`l84~85 (barring pro se litigant from filing
`
`any new petitions for extraoridinary writs); Martin—Trigona, 9 F.3d
`
`at 228-229
`
`(summarizing cases
`
`in which courts have completely
`
`foreclosed “vexatious litigants” from filing designated categories
`
`of cases). While some courts have imposed “lesser” sanctions, such
`
`as
`
`fines or nmnetary sanctions,
`
`in attempt
`
`to deter
`
`a pro se_
`
`
`
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`litigant
`
`like Ms. Collins,
`
`such a
`
`sanction would seenl
`
`to be
`
`ineffective to deter
`
`this plaintiff because
`
`she
`
`has
`
`always
`
`qualified for in forma pauperis status and her only income appears
`
`to be some type of government benefits.
`
`(Docket No. 2, Application
`
`to Proceed In Forma Pauperis). Not only would a monetary sanction
`
`or
`
`fine most
`
`likely go unpaid,
`
`it could also work an unusual
`
`hardship on plaintiff.
`
`Accordingly, this Court finds that the appropriate sanction to
`
`deter any more frivolous and repetitious filings by plaintiff is to
`
`enjoin her from making any future filings without first obtaining
`
`Court permission.
`
`The Court notes that it has the discretion to
`
`impose a complete and full filing injunction at
`
`this time but
`
`finds,
`
`for
`
`the time being,
`
`that
`
`the “lesser” sanction of not
`
`allowing any future filings without prior Court permission should
`
`be sufficient to deter any further frivolous or baseless filings by
`
`plaintiff.
`
`Lastly,
`
`the general rule in this Circuit is that an injunction
`
`against future filings cannot be ordered unless the litigant is
`
`provided notice of the Court's intention to enjoin her from filing
`
`future cases and an opportunity to be heard with respect
`
`to the
`
`Court's intention to impose such an injunction.
`
`_ee Fed. R. Civ.
`
`P.
`
`ll(c)(l)(B); see, e.g., Perpetual Sec.,
`
`Inc. v. Tang, 290 F.3d
`
`132, 141 n.
`
`2
`
`(2002)
`
`(if a district court determines that Rule ll
`
`sanctions are appropriately imposed, “the court must allow the
`
`
`
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`Case 1:O7—cv—OO725—WMS Document 4 Filed 12/03/07 Page 9 of 12
`
`party threatened with sanctions to respond”); see also Moates v.
`
`Barkley, 147 F.3d 207,
`
`208
`
`(2d. Circ. 1998)
`
`(per curiam)
`
`(“The
`
`unequivocal rule in this circuit is that the district court may not
`
`impose
`
`a
`
`filing injunction on
`
`a
`
`litigant
`
`sua
`
`sponte without
`
`providing the
`
`litigant with an opportunity to be heard.”).
`
`Accordingly, plaintiff shall file ,
`
`by December 31, 2007,
`
`an
`
`affidavit not
`
`to exceed five (5) pages in length explaining why
`
`this Court
`
`should not
`
`impose
`
`the
`
`sanction described above.
`
`Plaintiff's failure to file an affidavit or explain why
`
`the
`
`sanction described above shall not be imposed will cause the Court
`
`to impose said sanction.
`
`CONCLUSION
`
`Plaintiff has met
`
`the statutory requirements of 28 U.S.C.
`
`§ l9l5(a). Accordingly, plaintiff's request
`
`to proceed in forma
`
`pauperis is granted and,
`
`for
`
`the reasons discussed above,
`
`the
`
`complaint
`
`is dismissed with prejudice, pursuant
`
`to 28 U.S.C.
`
`§§ l9l5(e)(2)(S)(i), and plaintiff's application for service by the
`
`U.S. Marshal is denied as moot.
`
`The Court
`
`hereby certifies,
`
`pursuant
`
`to
`
`28 U.S.C.
`
`§
`
`l9l5(a)(3),
`
`that any appeal from this Order would not be taken in
`
`good faith, and leave to appeal to the Court of Appeals as a poor
`
`person is denied. Coppedge v. United States, 369 U.S. 438 (1962).
`
`Further requests to proceed on appeal as a poor person should be
`
`
`
`
`
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`
`directed, on motion,
`
`to the United States Court of Appeals for the
`
`Second Circuit,
`
`in accordance with Rule 24 of the Federal Rules of
`
`Appellate Procedure.
`
`Additionally, plaintiff will not be permitted to file any
`
`further actions of any type with this Court, unless she shows cause
`
`by December 31, 2007, why the sanction described above should not
`
`be imposed.
`
`ORDER
`
`IT HEREBY IS ORDERED,
`
`that plaintiff's request to proceed in
`
`forma pauperis (Docket No. 2)
`
`is granted, and her application for
`
`service by the U.S. Marshal is (Docket No. 3)
`
`is denied;
`
`FURTHER,
`
`that the complaint is dismissed with prejudice;
`
`FURTHER,
`
`that leave to appeal
`
`to the Court of Appeals as a
`
`poor person is denied; and
`
`FURTHER, that plaintiff shall submit by December 31, 2007, an
`
`affidavit not to exceed five (5) pages explaining why this Court
`
`should not
`
`impose the sanction described above to wit:
`
`that she
`
`shall be prohibited from filing any further actions with this
`
`court without first obtaining written permission from the court to
`
`do so; and
`
`FURTHER,
`
`that if plaintiff fails to file an affidavit by
`
`December 31, 2007, as directed, the following sanction will become
`
`effective without further order of the court:
`
`10
`
`
`
`Case 1:07-cv-00725-WMS Document 4 Filed 12/03/07 Page 11 of 12
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`
`Plaintiff may not file any additional actions, of any type,
`
`in this Court without first obtaining the prior approval of the
`
`Court.
`
`The Clerk of the Court
`
`is directed to not file any future
`
`(“new”) actions, of any type,
`
`submitted by Lisa Susan Collins
`
`until the Court has determined whether it has jurisdiction over
`
`the claims;
`
`the allegations in fact are warranted by existing law
`
`or by a nonfrivolous argument for the extension, modification, or
`
`reversal of existing law or the establishment of new law; or the
`
`action is not frivolous, baseless, repetitious, vexatious or not
`
`filed simply to annoy or harass.
`
`If the Court determines that the
`
`submission should be accepted for
`
`filing,
`
`the Court will
`
`so
`
`direct.
`
`In the event a future complaint or action is determined
`
`to be insufficient for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, or to
`
`be otherwise frivolous, baseless, repetitious, vexatious or filed
`
`simply to annoy or harass,
`
`the complaint shall be dismissed with
`
`prejudice by summary Order citing to this Decision and Order.
`
`Only upon a determination that a
`
`future or new action may go
`
`forward shall the Court direct the Clerk of the Court to cause the
`
`United States Marshals Service to serve the defendants or to issue
`
`summonses. Unless and until the Court enters
`
`an Order directing
`
`the Clerk of the Court to cause the United States Marshals Service
`
`to serve a summons and complaint on the
`
`11
`
`
`
`Case 1:07-cv-00725-WMS Document 4 Filed 12/03/07 Page 12 of 12
`Case 1:07—cv—00725—WMS Document 4 Filed 12/03/07 Page 12 of 12
`
`defendants or to issue summonses, no defendant shall be required
`
`to answer or otherwise respond.
`
`SO ORDERED.
`
`S/ Michael A. Telesca
`
`
`
`MICHAEL A. TELESCA
`
`United States District Judge
`
`Dated:
`
`November 29, 2007
`Rochester, New York
`
`12