Gardner ex rel. Booth v. Inglis House Corp.
Gardner ex rel. Booth v. Inglis House Corp.
Opinion of the Court
Colleen Gardner filed this civil action on behalf of her brother, Wade Booth, against the Inglis House Corp. (ECF No. 1.) Documents attached to the Complaint reflect that Gardner holds a power of attorney for her brother. Both Gardner and Booth signed the Complaint, and Booth submitted a Motion to Proceed In Forma Pauperis. For the reasons set forth below, the Court will grant Booth leave to proceed in forma pauperis and will dismiss his Complaint for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. The dismissal is without prejudice to Booth refiling this case in state court.
I. FACTS
The Complaint raises claims against Inglis House, a facility in Philadelphia for individuals with disabilities, where Booth used to live. On October 26, 2016, Booth entered the lobby of his apartment building and encountered a man who was unknown to him. The security guard's desk was unattended at the time. The man, later identified as Shon Phillips, stabbed Booth in the head repeatedly and kicked him. Booth was taken to the hospital for his injuries.
According to the Complaint, Inglis Corp. only rents to disabled individuals and unauthorized persons are not permitted. However, Phillips "was staying in his wheelchair bound mother['s] apt. even though he isn't disable[d]." (Compl. at 3.)
Phillips was charged criminally in connection with the assault and recently pled guilty to aggravated assault and related charges. See Commonwealth v. Phillips , Docket No. CP-51-CR-0010506-2016 (Phila. Ct. of Common Pleas). Sentencing in the case has been set for October 24, 2018.
Booth, with the assistance of Gardner, filed this civil action against Inglis House seeking damages for injuries he sustained in the assault. Booth indicates he is raising contract claims, but the Complaint could also be construed to raise claims under tort law.
II. STANDARD OF REVIEW
The Court will grant Booth leave to proceed in forma pauperis because it appears that he is not capable of paying the fees necessary to commence this action. Accordingly,
III. DISCUSSION
This Court lacks subject matter jurisdiction over Booth's claims. The only independent basis for the Court's jurisdiction over state law claims is pursuant to
Here, the Complaint indicates that the parties are not completely diverse. Booth appears to be a citizen of Pennsylvania and Inglis House Corporation's principal place of business is also in Pennsylvania. Accordingly, the Court must dismiss this case for lack of subject matter jurisdiction.
IV. CONCLUSION
For the foregoing reasons, the Court will grant Booth leave to proceed in forma pauperis and will dismiss his Complaint. As it appears that Booth cannot cure the defects in his claims, he will not be permitted to file an amended complaint. See Grayson v. Mayview State Hosp. ,
The Court adopts the pagination assigned to the Complaint by the CM-ECF docketing system.
Nothing in the Complaint could be understood to invoke this Court's federal question jurisdiction. See Rose v. Husenaj ,
Although Booth has signed the Complaint and Motion to Proceed In Forma Pauperis in accordance with Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 11, the Complaint indicates that Booth suffers from diminished mental capacity, which is why his sister is assisting with this lawsuit. A non-attorney may not represent another individual pro se , even by virtue of a power of attorney. See Williams v. United States ,
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Colleen GARDNER EX REL. Wade BOOTH v. The INGLIS HOUSE CORP.
- Cited By
- 2 cases
- Status
- Published