Rahman v. Esseddiq

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA FILED FEB- 5 20\3 Clerk U.S. District & Bankrupt~ Court~ 1or the District o1 Colum ta Reema Rahman, ) ) Plaintiff, ) ) v. ) Civil Action No. ) Basma Esseddiq, ) ) 18 0159 Defendant. ) ) MEMORANDUM OPINION This matter is before the Court on plaintiffs pro se complaint and application to proceed in forma pauperis. The Court will grant plaintiffs application and dismiss the complaint for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. The subject matter jurisdiction of the federal district courts is limited and is set forth generally at 28 U.S.C. §§ 1331 and 1332. Under those statutes, federal jurisdiction is available only when a "federal question" is presented or the parties are of diverse citizenship and the amount in controversy exceeds $75,000. A party seeking relief in the district court must at least plead facts that bring the suit within the court's jurisdiction. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a). Failure to plead such facts warrants dismissal ofthe action. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(h)(3). Plaintiff is a resident of Columbia, Maryland, suing a resident of the District of Columbia for alleged unpaid loans. She demands $2, 150.00. The complaint does not present a federal question and the amount in controversy is way below the minimum amount to bring this case (N\ within the Court's diversity jurisdiction. 1 A separate Order of dismissal accompanies this Memorandum Opinion. DATE: January _21_, 2013 II 1 Plaintiffs recourse lies, if at all, in the District of Columbia courts. 2