Griffin v. Orange County Jail Commissary Department

Background

Casimir Griffin, who is detained at the Orange County Jail, filed this civil action without a lawyer. He submitted an application to proceed in forma pauperis (IFP), meaning he asked to proceed without paying the filing fees in advance. He did not submit the required prisoner authorization.

Fees and prisoner authorization

The court explained that a prisoner bringing a civil action must either pay $405 in fees—a $350 filing fee and a $55 administrative fee—or submit the documents needed to request IFP status. If IFP status is granted, the Prison Litigation Reform Act requires the $350 filing fee to be collected in installments from the prisoner’s account. The prisoner authorization directs the detention facility to make those deductions and provide certified copies of the prisoner’s account statements for the previous six months. The $55 administrative fee does not apply to a person granted IFP status.

Order

The court ordered Griffin, within 30 days of the order, to either pay the $405 in fees or complete and submit the attached prisoner authorization, labeled with docket number 25-CV-7326 (LTS). No summons will issue at this time. If Griffin complies, the Clerk’s Office will process the case under its procedures; if he does not comply within the allowed time, the action will be dismissed.

The court also certified under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(3) that an appeal from this order would not be taken in good faith and denied IFP status for purposes of an appeal. The opinion does not address the merits of Griffin’s claims against the defendants. Judge Laura Taylor Swain signed the order as Chief United States District Judge.