Opinion
No. 06-2360.
May 15, 2007.
Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, Hon. F. Dennis Saylor, IV, U.S. District Judge.
David Wattleton on brief pro se.
Gregg Shapiro, Assistant United States Attorney, and Michael J. Sullivan, United States Attorney, on brief for appellees.
Before TORRUELLA, Circuit Judge, SELYA, Senior Circuit Judge, and LYNCH, Circuit Judge.
After carefully considering the briefs and record on appeal, we affirm the judgment below.
District courts are empowered to dismiss suits when plaintiffs defy court orders. Angulo-Alvarez v. Aponte de la Torre, 170 F.3d 246 (1st Cir. 1999); HMG Prop. Investors, Inc. v. Parque Indus. Rio Canas, Inc., 847 F.2d 908 (1st Cir. 1988). The appellant makes no showing that the court abused its discretion in dismissing his action.
The appellant's argument that civilly committed inmates are not prisoners for certain purposes is beside the point. Moreover, the appellant fails adequately to address the district court's reasoning that § 1915(a)(1) has been held to require everyone seeking in forma pauperis status to disclose their assets.
Affirmed. See 1st Cir. R. 27.0(c).