Brown v. The City of Minneapolis
Willie B. Brown, Jr. v. The City of Minneapolis; Michael A. Heyer, Minneapolis Police Sgt.; Patrick Bryan, Minneapolis Police Officer; Shany, partner officer of the 4th precinct; Hennepin County; John Doe, HCMC Security Guards, 4-5; Jane Doe, HCMC Security Guards, 1-2; Shala Jacobson, Nurse; Jane Doe, Nurse 1, all individually and in their official capacities; Supervisors, individually and in their official capacities; and The Hennepin County Medical Center
- Paul Magnuson
- 0:26-cv-00713
- U.S. District Court · District of Minnesota
- 2
In Brown v. Minneapolis, Judge Docherty denied IFP status and required Brown to pay the $405 filing fee within 21 days.
Willie B. Brown, Jr. must pay the $405 filing fee within 21 days to continue pursuing the case without facing a recommendation of dismissal for failure to prosecute. The order does not resolve the claims against the defendants.
What happened
In Willie B. Brown, Jr. v. The City of Minneapolis, Brown, who is a prisoner, asked to proceed without paying the filing fee upfront. The court reviewed his financial documents.
The court found that Brown had $21,500 in savings and could pay the $405 filing fee without undue hardship. It denied his application to proceed without paying the fee upfront.
Judge Docherty ordered Brown to pay within 21 days. If he does not, the court will recommend dismissing the case without prejudice for failure to prosecute; even if he pays, the complaint will still receive an initial review.
The detailed version
- Brown v. The City of Minneapolis · No. 0:26-cv-00713
- Paul Magnuson
- Feb. 9, 2026
Background
Willie B. Brown, Jr., a prisoner, applied to proceed in this case without paying the filing fee upfront. The court considered whether he could afford the costs of the case without undue hardship or losing the necessities of life.
Court’s analysis
The court relied on the financial information in Brown’s application, which showed that he had $21,500 in savings available to pay the $405 filing fee. The court stated that this amount was extraordinarily substantial for an applicant seeking to proceed without paying the fee upfront and that Brown could pay the fee without undue hardship.
Ruling and effect
Judge John F. Docherty denied Brown’s application to proceed without paying the filing fee upfront. The court ordered Brown to pay the $405 filing fee within 21 days of the order’s date. If he does not pay, the court will recommend that the case be dismissed without prejudice for failure to prosecute. The order does not decide the claims against the defendants. It also states that, if Brown pays and continues as a fee-paying litigant, his complaint will remain subject to preliminary review under 28 U.S.C. § 1915A, and the filing fee will not be refunded even if the complaint does not survive that review.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.