Opinion
Case No. 3:14-cv-00197-MMD-WGC
10-01-2014
BILL LIETZKE, Plaintiff, v. COUNTY OF MONTGOMERY, et al., Defendants.
ORDER ACCEPTING AND ADOPTING REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION OF MAGISTRATE JUDGE WILLIAM G. COBB
Before the Court is the Report and Recommendation of United States Magistrate Judge William G. Cobb (dkt. no. 4) ("R&R") relating to plaintiff's application to proceed in forma pauperis (dkt. no. 1) and pro se complaint (dkt. no. 1-1). No objection to the R&R has been filed.
This Court "may accept, reject, or modify, in whole or in part, the findings or recommendations made by the magistrate judge." 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1). Where a party timely objects to a magistrate judge's report and recommendation, then the court is required to "make a de novo determination of those portions of the [report and recommendation] to which objection is made." 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1). Where a party fails to object, however, the court is not required to conduct "any review at all . . . of any issue that is not the subject of an objection." Thomas v. Arn, 474 U.S. 140, 149 (1985). Indeed, the Ninth Circuit has recognized that a district court is not required to review a magistrate judge's report and recommendation where no objections have been filed. See United States v. Reyna-Tapia, 328 F.3d 1114 (9th Cir. 2003) (disregarding the standard of review employed by the district court when reviewing a report and recommendation to which no objections were made); see also Schmidt v. Johnstone, 263 F. Supp. 2d 1219, 1226 (D. Ariz. 2003) (reading the Ninth Circuit's decision in Reyna-Tapia as adopting the view that district courts are not required to review "any issue that is not the subject of an objection."). Thus, if there is no objection to a magistrate judge's recommendation, then the court may accept the recommendation without review. See, e.g., Johnstone, 263 F. Supp. 2d at 1226 (accepting, without review, a magistrate judge's recommendation to which no objection was filed).
Nevertheless, this Court finds it appropriate to engage in a de novo review to determine whether to adopt Magistrate Judge Cobb's R&R. The Magistrate Judge recommended granting Plaintiff's application to proceed in forma pauperis because his monthly expenses and debt make it unlikely he would be able pay the filing fee. The Magistrate Judge recommended dismissing the complaint with prejudice because Plaintiff seeks to file a criminal charge. Upon reviewing the R&R and Plaintiff's filings, this Court finds good cause to accept and adopt the Magistrate Judge's R&R in full.
It is therefore ordered, adjudged and decreed that the Report and Recommendation of Magistrate Judge William G. Cobb (dkt. no. 4) be accepted and adopted in its entirety.
It is ordered that plaintiff's application to proceed in form pauperis (dkt. no. 1) without having to prepay the filing fee is granted.
It is further ordered that the Clerk shall detach and file the complaint (dkt. no. 1-1).
It is further ordered that the complaint be dismissed with prejudice.
DATED THIS 1st day of October 2014.
/s/_________
MIRANDA M. DU
UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE