FILED
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT AUG 19 2010
FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Clerk, U.S. District & Bankruptcy
Courts for the District of Columbli
ANTONIO COLBERT, )
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Plaintiff, )
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v. ) Civil Action No. 10 1399
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F.B.I., )
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Defendant. )
MEMORANDUM OPINION
This matter is before the Court upon consideration ofplaintiffs application to proceed in
forma pauperis and his pro se complaint. The application will be granted, and the complaint
will be dismissed.
Plaintiff alleges that he has "made several attempts to file cases ... involving police
misconduct[,]" and has instead been subjected to harassment by the FBI's security staff. CompI.
at 2. He appears to demand that the FBI monitor its employees' calls "because these people think
they [are] god[']s gift to the Earth." Id. In addition, he demands an award of$10,000. Id.
The Court has reviewed plaintiffs complaint, keeping in mind that complaints filed by
pro se litigants are held to less stringent standards than those applied to formal pleadings drafted
by lawyers. See Haines v. Kerner, 404 U.S. 519,520 (1972). Even pro se litigants, however,
must comply with the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Jarrell v. Tisch, 656 F. Supp. 237, 239
(D.D.C. 1987). Rule 8(a) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure requires that a complaint
contain a short and plain statement of the grounds upon which the court's jurisdiction depends, a
short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief, and a demand
for judgment for the relief the pleader seeks. Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a). The purpose of the minimum
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standard of Rule 8 is to give fair notice to the defendants of the claim being asserted, sufficient to
prepare a responsive answer, to prepare an adequate defense and to determine whether the
doctrine of res judicata applies. Brown v. Califano, 75 F.R.D. 497, 498 (D.D.C. 1977).
Plaintiffs complaint does not contain a short and plain statement of the grounds upon
which the Court's jurisdiction depends or a claim that plaintiff is entitled to the relief he seeks.
For these reasons, the complaint will be dismissed for its failure to comply with Rule 8(a). An
Order consistent with this Memorandum Opinion is issued separately.
DATE: ~ ,(7--J 020 (0