Gaynett Powell v. Assistant Warden Harris , 628 F. App'x 679 ( 2015 )

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[DO NOT PUBLISH]
IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT
________________________
No. 15-10905
Non-Argument Calendar
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D.C. Docket No. 1:14-cv-21834-UU
GAYNETT POWELL,
Plaintiff-Appellant,
versus
ASSISTANT WARDEN HARRIS,
South Florida Reception Center,
ASSISTANT WARDEN VERGUSE,
South Florida Reception Center,
COLONEL WARDEN MCHENRY,
South Florida Reception Center,
RT THAMAS,
South Florida Reception Center,
CAPTAIN LEWIS,
South Florida Reception Center, et al.,
Defendants-Appellees.
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Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Southern District of Florida
________________________
(October 13, 2015)
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Before TJOFLAT, MARCUS and JULIE CARNES, Circuit Judges.
PER CURIAM:
Gaynett Powell, appearing pro se, appeals the district court’s sua sponte
dismissal of his civil complaint, filed pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. The district
court dismissed his complaint without prejudice for failure to comply with the
court’s orders, pursuant to rule 41(b) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. On
appeal, Powell argues that he complied with the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure
and that the court abused its discretion in dismissing his complaint for failing to
follow its orders, which substantially exceeded the requirements of the Federal
Rules of Civil Procedure. After thorough review, we affirm.
We review a district court’s decision to dismiss a case for failure to comply
with the rules of the court for abuse of discretion. Zocaras v. Castro, 465 F.3d 479,
483 (11th Cir. 2006). We construe pleadings filed by pro se parties liberally. Alba
v. Montford, 517 F.3d 1249, 1252 (11th Cir. 2008).
Rule 8 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure requires that “[a] pleading
that states a claim for relief must contain . . . a short and plain statement of the
claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief,” and that “[e]ach allegation
must be simple, concise, and direct.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2), (d)(1). The district
court can sua sponte require a plaintiff to plead a case in accordance with the
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Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. See Fikes v. City of Daphne, 79 F.3d 1079,
1083 n.6 (11th Cir. 1996) (discussing inherent power of court).
In addition, Rule 10 requires that each claim be presented in a separate
numbered paragraph, “each limited as far as practicable to a single set of
circumstances” and that “each claim founded on a separate transaction or
occurrence . . . must be stated in a separate count.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 10(b); see also
Anderson v. Dist. Bd. of Trs. of Cent. Fla. Cmty. Coll., 77 F.3d 364, 366 (11th Cir.
1996) (stating that multiple claims should be presented “with such clarity and
precision that the defendant will be able to discern what the plaintiff is claiming
and to frame a responsive pleading”).
Rule 41(b) provides that “[i]f the plaintiff fails to prosecute or to comply
with these rules or a court order, a defendant may move to dismiss the action or
any claim against it.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 41(b). Rule 41(b) provides the district court
“discretion to impose sanctions on a party who fails to adhere to court rules.”
Zocaras, 465 F.3d at 483. A district court may sua sponte dismiss a case under
Rule 41(b). Betty K Agencies, Ltd. v. M/V Monada, 432 F.3d 1333, 1337 (11th
Cir. 2005). “[D]ismissal upon disregard of an order, especially where the litigant
has been forewarned, generally is not an abuse of discretion.” Moon v. Newsome,
863 F.2d 835, 837 (11th Cir. 1989).
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Where the statute of limitations will bar future litigation, a dismissal without
prejudice is no less severe a sanction than a dismissal with prejudice, and the same
standard of review is used. Gray v. Fid. Acceptance Corp., 634 F.2d 226, 227 (5th
Cir. 1981).1 Dismissal with prejudice under Rule 41(b) is appropriate where there
is “a clear record of willful contempt and an implicit or explicit finding that lesser
sanctions would not suffice.” Gratton v. Great Am. Commc’ns, 178 F.3d 1373,
1374 (11th Cir. 1999) (quotation omitted).
Here, the record reveals that the district court twice instructed Powell on
how to correct his complaint and warned him about the consequences of not doing
so, but Powell ignored the court’s orders and filed an amended complaint with the
same deficiencies. First, when Powell filed his initial motion for preliminary
injunction, the magistrate judge directed Powell to file an amended complaint and
provided him with instructions and a form complaint to assist him in filing his
claim. In response, he filed an 82-page complaint that included a narrative of his
various encounters with the defendants over several years. Thereafter, the
magistrate judge was very clear when it then instructed Powell to file a final
amended complaint that clearly stated the constitutional violations that occurred
without including claims that took place outside of the district. Despite the
magistrate judge’s order to correct the issues, Powell filed another complaint
1
In Bonner v. City of Prichard, 661 F.2d 1206, 1209 (11th Cir.1981) (en banc), we adopted as
binding precedent all Fifth Circuit decisions issued before October 1, 1981.
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containing the same issues. The 77-page final amended complaint contained 45
pages of narrative. While the complaint did contain a legal claims section that
asserted the claims against the individual defendants, it was unclear which facts
supported each of his claims. On this record, the district court did not abuse its
discretion by finally dismissing the complaint when Powell failed to comply with
its orders.
While Powell is correct in describing dismissal as an extraordinary sanction,
the district court dismissed his complaint without prejudice, explicitly allowing
Powell to file a new complaint that complied with the court’s order and the Federal
Rules of Civil Procedure. Although Powell mentioned in his amended complaint
that prison officials had been harassing him since 2007, the earliest event
specifically discussed in the complaint occurred in March 2012. Therefore, the
district court’s dismissal was not tantamount to a dismissal with prejudice, because
Powell still has time to refile his complaint.
As for Powell’s claim that the district court should have transferred the case
to a district where venue was proper rather than dismissing, the district court
dismissed Powell’s case due to his noncompliance with the court’s order, not for
lack of venue. To clarify and limit the claims presented, the court instructed
Powell to only bring claims with proper venue in the United States District Court
for the Southern District of Florida, which Powell failed to do. For these reasons,
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the district court did not abuse its discretion in dismissing Powell’s complaint
without prejudice.
AFFIRMED.
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