Federal Circuits, Ninth Circuit (June 01, 1993)
Docket number: 92-16299
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U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit - Steven M. de Long, Petitioner-Appellant, v. Michael Hennessey, Respondent-Appellee. Steven M. de Long, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. Dr. Ruth Mansfield; Gloria Gonzales; Patricia Denning; Public Health Department of the City & County of San Francisco; and Community Mental Health Services, Defendants-Appellees., 912 F.2d 1144 (9th Cir. 1990) Petitioner-Appellant, v. Michael Hennessey, Respondent-Appellee. Steven M. de Long, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. Dr. Ruth Mansfield; Gloria Gonzales; Patricia Denning; Public Health Department of the City & County of San Francisco; and Community Mental Health Services, Defendants-Appellees.
Before: HUG, WIGGINS, and THOMPSON, Circuit Judges.
MEMORANDUM*** BACKGROUNDAppellant R.C. Phelps (Phelps) appeals pro se the dismissal of his complaint against Lockheed Missiles & Space Co., Inc. (Lockheed) in which he alleged that in terminating his employment Lockheed committed "prejudice, disclosure, blackmail, malpractice, fraud, and conspiracy with the intent to launch a failed satellite." Phelps has filed three other incoherent complaints against Lockheed, each of which were dismissed with prejudice after Phelps was permitted leave to amend.The district court granted Lockheed's motion to dismiss for lack of subject matter jurisdiction pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(1) and for failure to state a claim for relief pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6). Although the district court denied Lockheed's motion for sanctions in the form of an injunction to prevent Phelps from filing future actions against Lockheed, it did enjoin Phelps from filing an action without pre-filing review by a district court judge.Phelps argues that the district court erred in dismissing his complaint. We disagree and affirm.IIDISCUSSIONA. Motion to Dismiss1. Failure to State ClaimWe review de novo the dismissal of a complaint for failure to state a claim pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6). Oscar v. University Students Co-operative Ass'n, 965 F.2d 783, 785 (9th Cir.) (en banc), cert. denied, 113 S.Ct. 655 (1992). Dismissal of Phelps' complaint is only appropriate if he could prove no facts in support of his claim which would entitle him to relief. Richards v. Harper, 864 F.2d 85, 88 (9th Cir.1988).Vague and conclusory allegations are insufficient to withstand a motion to dismiss. Id.; Ivey v. Board of Regents of Univ. of Alaska, 673 F.2d 266, 268 (9th Cir.1982) (dismissed pro se civil rights complaint because it lacked factual specificity). "We do not supply essential elements of a claim that were not initially pleaded." Richards, 864 F.2d at 88.In this case, Phelps' complaint states only vague and conclusory allegations. It is difficult to ascertain from his complaint both the exact nature of his action and the federal jurisdiction upon which it is based. Furthermore, the complaint fails to allege sufficient facts in support of his claims. Even under our liberal standard for evaluating the dismissal of a pro se action, we affirm the district court's dismissal because Phelps' vague and conclusory allegations are insufficient to support his claims. See Id. 2. Lack of Subject Matter JurisdictionMoreover, because the complaint is incoherent, it is impossible to determine the federal nature of Phelps' complaint. Again, his allegations in that regard are conclusory and fail to establish federal jurisdiction. Hence, the district court properly dismissed the complaint for lack of subject matter jurisdiction.Finally, because leave to amend the complaint would have been futile, the district court was proper in not granting leave to amend. See Albrecht v. Lund, 845 F.2d 193, 195 (9th Cir.), modified on other grounds, 856 F.2d 111 (1988).B. Pre-Filing ReviewWe review for abuse of discretion the district court's order precluding frivolous filings. De Long v. Hennessey, 912 F.2d 1144, 1146 (9th Cir.), cert. denied,Try vLex for FREE for 3 days
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