Grimes v. Higgins

Grimes v. Higgins · United States District Court, Eastern District of Arkansas, Central Division · January 27, 2025 · No. 4:23-cv-01114-JM-PSH

Summary

This is a district court order dismissing a pro se civil rights complaint filed under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 without prejudice. The court found that the plaintiff failed to comply with a prior order to provide a current mailing address, resulting in undeliverable mail and non-response to court directives. Consequently, the action was dismissed for failure to prosecute and comply with local rules.

Court
United States District Court, Eastern District of Arkansas, Central Division
Jurisdiction
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas
Decision date
January 27, 2025
Docket number
4:23-cv-01114-JM-PSH
Procedural posture
Complaint dismissed without prejudice for failure to comply with Local Rule 5.5(c)(2) and failure to respond to court orders.
Standard of review
abuse of discretion
Precedential value
nonprecedential
Disposition
dismissed

Topics

default

Practice areas

civil procedurecivil rights

Questions Presented

  1. Whether the district court may dismiss a pro se civil rights action sua sponte for failure to comply with Local Rule 5.5(c)(2) and to respond to court orders.

Holdings

  1. The court may dismiss the action without prejudice for failure to comply with Local Rule 5.5(c)(2) and failure to respond to the court’s orders.

Key quotations

Accordingly, the Court finds that this action should be dismissed without prejudice for failure to comply with Local Rule 5.5(c)(2) and failure to respond to the Court’s orders.

Factual background

Grimes filed a civil rights complaint pro se and was ordered to update his mailing address. The court sent a text order and a printed notice, which was returned as undeliverable. Grimes did not respond to the order.

Procedural history

Plaintiff John Grimes, Sr. filed a pro se 42 U.S.C. §1983 complaint on November 21, 2023. The court ordered him to provide a current mailing address by December 5, 2024. Grimes failed to comply, and the court dismissed the action without prejudice on January 27, 2025.

Court Document

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