Summary
This United States District Court order grants Plaintiff Alonzo Turner’s motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis, waiving the requirement to prepay the filing fee for his Social Security appeal. The Court evaluated Turner’s financial declarations and found he would face substantial difficulty paying the fee. Additionally, the Court reviewed the underlying complaint for Supplemental Security Income denial and determined that the claims are not frivolous and sufficiently state a potential claim for relief.
Topics
Practice areas
Questions Presented
- Whether the plaintiff qualifies for in forma pauperis status and whether the complaint is frivolous.
Holdings
- The court granted the motion for leave to proceed without prepaying the filing fee, finding the plaintiff unable to pay and the complaint not frivolous.
Key quotations
“The Court has authority to allow a litigant to proceed IFP if it determines that (1) the litigant is unable to pay the costs of commencing the action and (2) the action is not frivolous, does not fail to state a claim, and is not brought against an immune defendant.”
“IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that Plaintiff Alonzo Turner’s motion for leave to proceed without prepaying the filing fee, ECF No. 4, is GRANTED.”
Factual background
Turner has no wages or salary, receives food stamps and housing assistance, has no checking or savings accounts, and owns no other property, as attested in a sworn declaration.
Procedural history
Plaintiff filed a complaint on July 23, 2025 seeking review of an SSA decision and, on July 24, 2025, filed a motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis using the court's local form. The court evaluated the plaintiff's financial status and the sufficiency of the complaint before granting the motion.