Angel v. Carter

Background

Micah Angel filed a civil action against Beyonce Carter and other defendants while representing himself. He submitted the complaint without paying the required fees and without submitting an application to proceed without prepayment of fees.

Order

The court explained that starting a civil action required either paying $402—consisting of a $350 filing fee and a $52 administrative fee—or submitting a signed application to proceed without prepayment of fees. Within 30 days of the order, Angel had to choose one of those options. If the court granted the application, Angel could proceed without paying the fees in advance.

The court directed that no summons issue at that time. It stated that the case would be processed under the Clerk’s Office procedures if Angel complied with the order, and that the action would be dismissed if he failed to comply within the allowed period. The court did not address the merits of the claims.

Appeal and service

The court certified that an appeal from the order would not be taken in good faith and denied permission to proceed without prepayment for purposes of an appeal. The Clerk of Court was directed to mail Angel a copy of the order and record service on the docket.

Disposition

The court entered an order directing payment of the required fee or submission of an application to proceed without prepayment. The opinion’s caption lists docket number 21-CV-0486 (LTS), while the text instructs Angel to label any application with docket number 22-CV-0486 (LTS).