FILED
JAN 20 2010
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Clerk, U.S. District and
8ankruptcy Courts
Abdul Wakil Amiri, )
)
Plaintiff, )
)
v. ) Civil Action No. 10 0097
)
Gelman Management Co. et al., )
)
Defendants. )
MEMORANDUM OPINION
This matter is before the Court on plaintiffs pro se complaint and application to proceed
informa 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 of the action. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(h)(3).
Plaintiff, a District of Columbia resident, sues a District of Columbia-based company for
wrongful eviction and harassment. He seeks $18 million in damages. The complaint neither
presents a federal question nor provides a basis for diversity jurisdiction because the parties are
not of diverse citizenship. Plaintiffs recourse lies, if at all, in the Superior Court of the District
of Columbia. Accordingly, the complaint will be dismissed. A separate Order accompanies this
Memorandum Opinion.
Date: January~, 2010
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