Opinion
Civil Action No. 12 1857
10-26-2012
Kareemah Bell-Boston, Plaintiff, v. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, Defendant.
MEMORANDUM OPINION
This matter is before the Court on the plaintiff's pro se complaint and application to proceed in forma pauperis. The Court will grant the plaintiff's application and dismiss the complaint for lack of subject matter jurisdiction.
The subject matter jurisdiction of the federal district courts is limited and is set forth generally at 28 U.S.C. §§ 1331 and 1332. Under those statutes, federal jurisdiction is available only when a "federal question" is presented or the parties are of diverse citizenship and the amount in controversy exceeds $75,000. A party seeking relief in the district court must at least plead facts that bring the suit within the court's jurisdiction. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a). Failure to plead such facts warrants dismissal of the action. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(h)(3).
The plaintiff is a District of Columbia resident "looking to sue Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library [in the District of Columbia] for Defamation of Character." Statement of the Case at 2. Since the complaint neither presents a federal question nor provides a basis for diversity jurisdiction, it will be dismissed.
A separate Order accompanies this Memorandum Opinion.
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Unite States District Judge