FILED
United States Court of Appeals
Tenth Circuit
July 16, 2010
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
Elisabeth A. Shumaker
Clerk of Court
TENTH CIRCUIT
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff-Appellee, No. 09-1505
v. (D. of Colo.)
ALBERT CELIO, (D.C. Nos. 1:08-CV-2088-CMA and
1:01-CR-00165-CMA)
Defendant-Appellant.
ORDER AND JUDGMENT *
Before HARTZ, ANDERSON, and TYMKOVICH, Circuit Judges. **
Albert Celio, proceeding pro se, 1 seeks to appeal the dismissal with
prejudice of his amended “Motion to Vacate, Set Aside, or Correct Sentence
Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2255,” dated April 28, 2009. The district court dismissed
*
This order and judgment is not binding precedent except under the
doctrines of law of the case, res judicata and collateral estoppel. It may be cited,
however, for its persuasive value consistent with Fed. R. App. P. 32.1 and 10th
Cir. R. 32.1.
**
After examining the briefs and the appellate record, this three-judge
panel has determined unanimously that oral argument would not be of material
assistance in the determination of this appeal. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a); 10th
Cir. R. 34.1(G). The cause is therefore ordered submitted without oral argument.
1
While a “pro se litigant’s pleadings are to be construed liberally and held
to a less stringent standard than formal pleadings drafted by lawyers,” we will not
“assume the role of advocate for the pro se litigant.” Hall v. Bellmon, 935 F.2d
1106, 1110 (10th Cir. 1991).
Celio’s motion for failing to file a short and plain statement of his claims. We
exercise jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. §§ 1291 and 2253, and GRANT Celio a
Certificate of Appealability (COA), 2 REVERSE the dismissal of his motion, and
REMAND for the district court to provide further guidance to Celio regarding the
form of his motion. 3
I. Background
In 2001, Celio was indicted for dispensing and distributing a controlled
substance in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C). After a jury trial in
2005, Celio was convicted on four counts related to Percocet prescriptions he
illegally wrote for an undercover Denver police officer. Celio was sentenced to
27 months’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release.
2
“Title 28 U.S.C. § 2253 governs our review of a district court’s denial of
a habeas petition. Under § 2253, we must grant a COA to a habeas petitioner
before he may proceed in our court. A COA may issue ‘only if the applicant has
made a substantial showing of the denial of a constitutional right.’” United States
v. Shipp, 589 F.3d 1084, 1087 (10th Cir. 2009) (quoting 28 U.S.C. § 2253(c)(2)).
“[W]hen the district court denies a habeas petition on procedural grounds . . . a
COA should issue . . . [if] jurists of reason would find it debatable whether the
petition states a valid claim of the denial of a constitutional right, and . . .
whether the district court was correct in its procedural ruling.” Slack v.
McDaniel, 529 U.S. 473, 478 (2000). Our reversal of the district court’s decision
entails the conclusion that “jurists of reason would find it debatable . . . whether
the district court was correct in its procedural ruling.”
3
Celio also moves “for clarification to the futility in filing cases, appeals,
or motions by pro se litigants.” Celio essentially asks this court to disprove
various allegations he makes against the legal system. We decline to engage in
this exercise because it is unrelated to the merits of his habeas appeal.
-2-
Celio filed his first motion on September 26, 2008. The motion, which
presents 12 primary claims, appears to be based on a standard habeas form.
However, the motion refers to attached memoranda for the substance of the
allegations and supporting facts. Those memoranda, in turn, by our count total
211 pages and refer to an additional 78 attachments. The magistrate judge found
Celio’s motion did not constitute a “short and plain statement” of his claims per
Rule 8 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and the judge ordered Celio to
amend his motion to substantially follow the standard habeas form. Apart from
reciting the language of Rule 8, the magistrate judge’s guidance to Celio
regarding the form of his motion, in its entirety, was the following:
[B]urying claims in the middle of a lengthy supporting memorandum
does not substantially follow the form § 2255 motion . . . . Taken
together, Rules 8(a) and (d)(1) underscore the emphasis placed on
clarity and brevity by the federal pleading rules. Prolix, vague, or
unintelligible pleadings violate the requirements of Rule 8. Movant’s
claims are not presented in a clear and concise manner that allows the
Court and the government to know precisely how Movant believes his
rights have been violated and why he believes he is entitled to
relief. . . . Movant must present his claims clearly and concisely in a
manner that substantially follows either the form appended to the Rules
Governing Section 2255 Proceedings or the Court’s own form
motion . . . .
ROA, Vol. 3 at 38–39.
Celio filed a second motion on October 31, 2008. The second motion is 35
pages long, states 12 primary claims with at least 158 issues, and refers to
supporting memoranda totaling 255 pages. Nonetheless, Celio did summarize his
-3-
claims using the standard habeas form as the magistrate judge had instructed.
Once again, the magistrate judge found Celio’s motion violated Rule 8 and
ordered Celio to file an amended motion that followed the court’s pleading rules.
The magistrate judge concluded “Mr. Celio’s second Motion suffers from all of
the same defects pointed out by the court about his first Motion,” but provided no
additional guidance. Id. at 337. The order required Celio to file an amended
motion “that complies with the requirements specified in this Order” and the
magistrate judge’s previous order, and the order warned “[f]ailure to file a second
amended Motion within the time allowed may result in denial of the Motion . . .
and dismissal of this civil action without further notice.” Id. at 338.
Celio filed a third motion on April 20, 2009. The third motion presents
numerous and inconsistently-numbered claims. Along with the third motion,
Celio requested an extension of time to file a new motion and supporting
memorandum. The magistrate judge granted Celio’s request for an extension of
time, and eight days later, Celio filed a fourth motion. The fourth motion,
attachments, and a subsequent addendum, total 296 pages.
In response to Celio’s fourth submission, the magistrate judge
recommended dismissing Celio’s motion with prejudice. The magistrate judge
found Celio had repeatedly failed to comply with Rule 8 by not providing a short
and plain statement of his claims. In addition, the magistrate judge found
portions of Celio’s motions rambling and incomprehensible. After weighing the
-4-
factors in Ehrenhaus v. Reynolds, 965 F.2d 916 (10th Cir. 1992), the district court
adopted the magistrate judge’s recommendation, and dismissed Celio’s motion
with prejudice.
II. Discussion
The district court dismissed Celio’s motion because it did not constitute “a
short and plain statement” of his claims. See F ED . R. C IV . P. 8(a). We review a
dismissal based on a violation of the federal rules for an abuse of discretion. See
Nasious v. Two Unknown B.I.C.E. Agents, 492 F.3d 1158, 1161 (10th Cir. 2007). 4
We have held a district court must consider five criteria before dismissing a case
in this circumstance: “(1) the degree of actual prejudice to the defendant; (2) the
amount of interference with the judicial process; (3) the culpability of the litigant;
(4) whether the court warned the party in advance that dismissal of the action
would be a likely sanction for noncompliance; and (5) the efficacy of lesser
sanctions.” Ehrenhaus, 965 F.2d at 921 (internal citations omitted).
4
Rule 41(b) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure provides: “a defendant
may move to dismiss the action or any claim against it.” “Although the language
of Rule 41(b) requires that the defendant file a motion to dismiss, the Rule has
long been interpreted to permit courts to dismiss actions sua sponte for a
plaintiff’s failure to prosecute or comply with the rules of civil procedure or
court’s orders.” Olsen v. Mapes, 333 F.3d 1199, 1204 n.3 (10th Cir. 2003).
“And, to be sure, a failure to satisfy Rule 8 can supply a basis for dismissal: Rule
41(b) specifically authorizes a district court to dismiss an action for failing to
comply with any aspect of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.” Nasious, 492
F.3d at 1161.
-5-
As to the first and second factors, “[t]his court has long recognized that
defendants are prejudiced by having to respond to pleadings [that are] wordy and
unwieldy,” and “district judges . . . have their task made immeasurably more
difficult by pleadings [that are] rambling . . . .” Nasious, 492 F.3d at 1162–63.
We are confident Celio’s final, 109-page motion and hundreds of pages of
attachments weigh in favor of dismissal under the first two Ehrenhaus factors.
Cf. id. at 1161 (stating a complaint “running some 63 pages” and described as
“[n]o model of clarity” was appropriate to dismiss under the first two Ehrenhaus
factors).
The third and fourth Ehrenhaus factors, however, weigh against dismissal
with prejudice. “The [Ehrenhaus] notice and culpability tests are in some sense
the opposite sides of the same coin . . . for the culpability of a pro se litigant for
filing a still-prolix amended complaint depends in great measure on the usefulness
of the notice he or she has received from the court . . . .” Id. at 1163.
Here, while the magistrate judge provided Celio some general notice of the
motion’s deficiency, Nasious suggests a broader approach. The magistrate judge
simply recited Rule 8’s language and admonished Celio to make the motion
clearer. After the magistrate judge’s first order, it appears Celio attempted to
comply by using the standard habeas form’s format, yet the usefulness of the form
may have been eroded when Celio attached lengthy supporting memoranda and
-6-
documents. Celio’s attempts to use the form suggest he was not belligerent to the
magistrate judge’s orders but genuinely did not understand Rule 8’s requirements.
Courts have “obligations to pro se litigants” to provide “some modest
additional explanation” regarding the format of filings because they “are not
expected to understand what recitations are legally essential and which are
superfluous.” Id. We note the correct balance in an initial motion between
making bare allegations and complying with the “short and plain statement”
requirement may be difficult for pro se litigants to understand given the Supreme
Court’s recent tightening of pleading standards. See Bell Atlantic Corp. v.
Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555 (2007) (holding a pleading may survive a motion to
dismiss only if it contains “[f]actual allegations . . . enough to raise a right to
relief above the speculative level”). The court’s obligation to provide guidance to
pro se litigants is especially important where the sanction is dismissal without the
opportunity to resubmit.
Under Nasious, the court should “advise a pro se litigant that, to state a
claim in federal court, a complaint must explain what each defendant did to him
or her; when the defendant did it; how the defendant’s action harmed him or her;
and, what specific legal right the plaintiff believes the defendant violated.”
Nasious, 492 F.3d at 1163. In the circumstances here, we conclude the claimant
should have been given advice of this sort before dismissal with prejudice.
-7-
In closing, we share the district court’s frustration with lengthy
submissions, and plaintiffs would be wise to acknowledge the wisdom of
“mak[ing] your points and ask[ing] for your relief in a blunt, straightforward
manner,” always “valu[ing] clarity above all other elements of style.” A NTONIN
S CALIA & B RYAN A. G ARNER , M AKING Y OUR C ASE : T HE A RT OF P ERSUADING
J UDGES 107 (2008).
III. Conclusion
For the foregoing reasons, we GRANT Celio a COA, REVERSE the
dismissal of his motion, and REMAND the case to the district court for further
proceedings.
ENTERED FOR THE COURT
PER CURIAM
-8-