Opinion
Case: 1:15-cv-00065
01-13-2015
MARK S. CIRIELLO, Plaintiff, v. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, Defendant.
Assigned To: Unassigned
Assign. Date: 1/15/2015
Description: Pro Se Gen. Civil
MEMORANDUM OPINION
This matter is before the Court on plaintiff's application to proceed in forma pauperis and his pro se civil complaint. The application will be granted, and the complaint will be dismissed as frivolous.
The Court has reviewed plaintiff's complaint, keeping in mind that complaints 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. 519, 520 (1972). Even pro se litigants, however, 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 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). The purpose of the minimum standard of Rule 8 is to give fair notice to the defendants of the claim 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).
The so-called complaint merely refers to its attachments - principally copies of letters addressed to various federal government entities - and recounts plaintiff‘s lack of success in filing lawsuits against the State of Connecticut. The pleading neither alleges facts nor articulates a cognizable legal claim. As drafted, the complaint does not comply with Rule 8(a), and it therefore will be dismissed. An Order consistent with this Memorandum Opinion is issued separately. DATE: January 13, 2015
/s/_________
United States District Judge