Pharaoh El-Forever Left-i Amen El v. Schnell
Pharaoh El-Forever Left-i Amen El v. Paul Schnell; Guy Bosch; Michelle Smith; Wanchena; Connors Karel; Marisa Williams; Jones, Lieutenant; Dan Huff; Minnesota Department of Health Commissioner; N. Lewis, Safety Admin; Bolin, Warden; Jane Doe 1-3; John Doe 1-3; and Officials Public Hazard Bonds, in their individual and official capacities
- Paul Magnuson
- 0:26-cv-00236
- U.S. District Court · District of Minnesota
- 4
In Pharaoh El-Forever Left-i Amen El v. Paul Schnell, Judge Wright denied El’s request to proceed without paying the filing fee.
The order directly affects Pharaoh El-Forever Left-i Amen El: his request to proceed without paying the full filing fee was denied, and he must pay $405 within 20 days to continue the action. The court has not yet ruled on his underlying claims against the defendants.
What happened
Pharaoh El-Forever Left-i Amen El v. Paul Schnell concerns Amen El’s lawsuit alleging that poor water quality at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Stillwater caused unconstitutional conditions and health problems.
Amen El asked to proceed without paying the filing fee upfront and instead pay in installments. The court found that his account had a current balance of $3,046.67 and average monthly deposits of $818.46, and that he could pay the full $405 fee.
Judge Elizabeth Cowan Wright denied the request. The court gave Amen El 20 days to pay the full fee; otherwise, it will be recommended that the action be dismissed without prejudice for failure to prosecute. The court did not yet review whether his complaint stated a viable claim.
The detailed version
- Pharaoh El-Forever Left-i Amen El v. Schnell · No. 0:26-cv-00236
- Paul Magnuson
- Jan. 22, 2026
Background
Pharaoh El-Forever Left-i Amen El alleges that he was exposed to unconstitutional conditions of confinement at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Stillwater. He says the facility’s water contained unhealthy levels of certain chemicals and that exposure caused hair loss and skin problems. The opinion states that he is now incarcerated at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Rush City.
Amen El did not pay the filing fee and asked to proceed in forma pauperis, meaning without paying the full fee at the start of the case. As a prisoner, he asked to pay the fee in installments under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b).
Court’s Analysis
The court explained that a prisoner seeking this payment arrangement generally must pay an initial partial filing fee based on the average deposits or average balance in the prisoner’s account during the preceding six months. The court also considered whether Amen El could afford the full filing fee without undue hardship.
Amen El’s application showed a current account balance of $3,046.67 and average monthly deposits of $818.46 during the preceding six months. The court noted that Amen El acknowledged he could pay the filing fee but preferred to pay in installments. Based on those facts, the court concluded that his financial resources were not negligible or merely nominal and that he was not shown to be truly indigent.
Disposition
Judge Elizabeth Cowan Wright denied Amen El’s application to proceed in forma pauperis. The order requires him to pay the full $405 filing fee within 20 days after the order’s date. If he pays, the court will review the complaint under 28 U.S.C. § 1915A(b) to determine whether it states a viable claim within the court’s jurisdiction. If he does not pay within the allowed time, the order states that it will be recommended that the action be dismissed without prejudice under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 41(b) for failure to prosecute. The court did not decide the merits or viability of Amen El’s underlying conditions-of-confinement claims.
Read the full 4-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.