1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 11 LISA MARIE PATTERSON, No. 2:19-cv-1750-KJM-KJN PS 12 Plaintiff, FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO DENY IFP APPLICATION AND 13 v. DISMISS WITHOUT PREJUDICE 14 FAMILY CONNECTION CHRISTIAN ADOPTION, et at., 15 Defendants. 16 17 On October 7, 2019, the court issued an order finding that Plaintiff’s motion to proceed in 18 forma pauperis was deficient, requiring her to supplement her IFP application within twenty-one 19 days. (ECF No. 3.) Plaintiff was cautioned that failure to timely comply with the order may 20 result in dismissal of the action with prejudice pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 41(b). 21 (Id.) The deadline has passed, and Plaintiff has failed to update her IFP application. Therefore, at 22 this juncture, the court has little choice but to recommend Plaintiff’s IFP be denied and that her 23 case be dismissed pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 41(b) for failure to comply with 24 court orders and failure to prosecute the action. 25 Eastern District Local Rule 110 provides that “[f]ailure of counsel or of a party to comply 26 with these Rules or with any order of the Court may be grounds for imposition by the Court of 27 any and all sanctions authorized by statute or Rule or within the inherent power of the Court.” 28 Moreover, Eastern District Local Rule 183(a) provides, in part: 1 Any individual representing himself or herself without an attorney is bound by the Federal Rules of Civil or Criminal Procedure, these 2 Rules, and all other applicable law. All obligations placed on “counsel” by these Rules apply to individuals appearing in propria 3 persona. Failure to comply therewith may be ground for dismissal, judgment by default, or any other sanction appropriate under these 4 Rules. 5 See also King v. Atiyeh, 814 F.2d 565, 567 (9th Cir. 1987) (“Pro se litigants must follow the 6 same rules of procedure that govern other litigants”) (overruled on other grounds). A district 7 court may impose sanctions, including involuntary dismissal of a plaintiff’s case pursuant to 8 Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 41(b), where that plaintiff fails to prosecute his or her case or 9 fails to comply with the court’s orders, the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, or the court’s local 10 rules. See Chambers v. NASCO, Inc., 501 U.S. 32, 44 (1991) (recognizing that a court “may act 11 sua sponte to dismiss a suit for failure to prosecute”); Hells Canyon Preservation Council v. U.S. 12 Forest Serv., 403 F.3d 683, 689 (9th Cir. 2005) (stating that courts may dismiss an action 13 pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 41(b) sua sponte for a plaintiff’s failure to prosecute 14 or comply with the rules of civil procedure or the court’s orders); Ghazali v. Moran, 46 F.3d 52, 15 53 (9th Cir. 1995) (per curiam) (“Failure to follow a district court’s local rules is a proper ground 16 for dismissal”); Ferdik v. Bonzelet, 963 F.2d 1258, 1260 (9th Cir. 1992) (“Pursuant to Federal 17 Rule of Civil Procedure 41(b), the district court may dismiss an action for failure to comply with 18 any order of the court”); Thompson v. Housing Auth. of City of L.A., 782 F.2d 829, 831 (9th Cir. 19 1986) (per curiam) (stating that district courts have inherent power to control their dockets and 20 may impose sanctions including dismissal or default). 21 A court must weigh five factors in determining whether to dismiss a case for failure to 22 prosecute, failure to comply with a court order, or failure to comply with a district court’s local 23 rules. See, e.g., Ferdik, 963 F.2d at 1260. Specifically, the court must consider: 24 (1) the public’s interest in expeditious resolution of litigation; (2) the court’s need to manage its docket; (3) the risk of prejudice to the 25 defendants; (4) the public policy favoring disposition of cases on their merits; and (5) the availability of less drastic alternatives. 26 27 Id. at 1260-61; accord Pagtalunan v. Galaza, 291 F.3d 639, 642-43 (9th Cir. 2002). 28 Here, the first two factors weigh in favor of dismissal, because this case has already been 1 delayed by plaintiff’s failure to take the steps necessary to move this case forward. The third 2 factor also slightly favors dismissal, because, at a minimum, defendants have been deprived of an 3 opportunity to be promptly notified of the lawsuit and prepare their defense. With the passage of 4 time, witnesses’ memories fade and evidence becomes stale. 5 Furthermore, the fifth factor, availability of less drastic alternatives, favors dismissal, 6 because the court has already attempted less drastic alternatives. Plaintiff was informed that her 7 IFP application was deficient, and she was given a chance to supplement it. (ECF No. 3.) 8 Therein, the court also clearly cautioned plaintiff regarding the potential consequences of any 9 continued failure to comply with the court’s orders. Additionally, given plaintiff’s initial request 10 to proceed in forma pauperis and her complete failure to respond to the court’s orders, the court is 11 not convinced that plaintiff could or would pay any monetary sanctions if they were ordered. 12 Finally, as to the fourth factor, the public policy favoring disposition of cases on their 13 merits, that factor is outweighed by the other Ferdik factors. Indeed, it is plaintiff’s own failure to 14 prosecute the case and comply with court orders that precludes a resolution on the merits. 15 Therefore, after carefully evaluating the Ferdik factors, the court concludes that Plaintiff’s 16 IFP should be denied, and the case should be dismissed for failure to prosecute. Ferdik, 963 F.2d 17 at 1260; see also Tripati v. Rison, 847 F.2d 548 (9th Cir. 1988) (absent consent of all parties, 18 magistrate judge lacks authority to issue dispositive order denying in forma pauperis status). 19 Accordingly, IT IS HEREBY RECOMMENDED that: 20 1. Plaintiff’s motion to proceed in forma pauperis (ECF No. 2.) be DENIED; 21 2. The action be dismissed pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 41(b); and 22 3. The Clerk of Court be directed to close this case. 23 These findings and recommendations are submitted to the United States District Judge 24 assigned to the case, pursuant to the provisions of 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(l). Within fourteen (14) 25 days after being served with these findings and recommendations, any party may file written 26 objections with the court and serve a copy on all parties. Such a document should be captioned 27 “Objections to Magistrate Judge’s Findings and Recommendations.” Any reply to the objections 28 shall be served on all parties and filed with the court within fourteen (14) days after service of the 1 | objections. The parties are advised that failure to file objections within the specified time may 2 || waive the right to appeal the District Court’s order. Turner v. Duncan, 158 F.3d 449, 455 (9th 3 | Cir. 1998); Martinez v. YIst, 951 F.2d 1153, 1156-57 (9th Cir. 1991). 4 IT IS SO RECOMMENDED. 5 | Dated: November 1, 2019 ° Fens Arn 7 KENDALL J. NE UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE ° SD.patt.1750 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28