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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE
DISTRICT OF UTAH
INFORMATION FOR FILING A CIVIL
RIGHTS COMPLAINT UNDER 42 U.S.C.
SECTIONS 1983 AND 1985
Office of the Clerk of Court
Last Modified 04/10/2014
INTRODUCTION
This information packet is designed to help you file a civil rights complaint in federal court
without the help of a trained and licensed attorney. In a civil rights complaint, you are alleging that
your constitutional rights or privileges or immunities have been violated. The federal law under
which a civil rights claim arises is 42 U.S.C. sections 1983 and 1985. (U.S.C. stands for "United
States Code," which is a collection of all the federal laws in the country. The law under which a civil
rights action is brought is located in sections 1983 and 1985 of title 42 of the United States Code.)
When you represent yourself in a lawsuit you are known as a pro se litigant, or a person who is
proceeding pro se.
In order to start a lawsuit based on a claim of violation of your civil rights, you must prepare
and file with the court what is known as a complaint. This packet of instructions is designed to
help you prepare a civil rights complaint under 42 U.S.C. section 1983 and 1985. For information
on how to actually file the complaint with the court after you have prepared it and how to proceed
in your lawsuit, you should obtain and read the Pro Se Litigant Guide, which is available at the
clerk's office of the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah, located in suite 150 of the Frank E.
Moss U.S. Courthouse, 350 South Main in Salt Lake City, Utah, 84101.
A sample complaint form is included in this packet to help you to prepare your complaint.
Your complaint must be typewritten or legibly handwritten. All questions must be answered clearly
in the correct space on the form. If you need extra space to answer a question, you may use
additional pages of 8.5" x 11" size paper. The additional page(s) must be legible, and must indicate
which question you are answering. If you are suing more than one person, you should state clearly
which defendant you accuse of each act.
PREPARING THE COMPLAINT
1. To assist a party appearing pro se in filing a civil rights complaint, the office of the clerk has
prepared a complaint form, a copy of which is attached to this information packet. The instructions
in this section correspond by name to the sections in the sample complaint form.
2. If you need more space than the sample complaint form provides to record details, you should
use additional sheets the same size as the complaint.
A. Caption and Heading: Before your case can be filed with the clerk's office, the first
page of your complaint must have your name, address and telephone number at the top of the
complaint as part of the heading. This is referred to as the case caption and heading. The case
caption also must indicate the Division of the District of Utah in which the case originates.
Determining this is relatively easy.
Northern Division: If the defendant(s) reside in, or if the action on which the lawsuit is based
1
occurred in one of the following counties, it is a Northern Division case: Box Elder, Cache,
Rich,Weber, Davis, or Morgan.
Central Division: If the defendant(s) reside in, or if the action occurred in one of the following
counties, it is a Central Division case: Beaver, Carbon, Daggett, Duchesne, Emery, Garfield,
Grand, Iron, Juab, Kane, Millard, Piute, Salt Lake, San Juan, Sanpete, Sevier, Summit, Tooele,
Uintah, Utah, Wasatch, Washington, or Wayne.
In the caption, you must also add your name as the plaintiff and the names of the people you
are naming as defendants on the lines provided.
B. Jurisdiction: In this section, you inform the court why the case should be heard in
federal court rather than state court or some other forum.
Options: For a complaint alleging a violation of civil rights, you have two options:
1. If your action is generally one for a violation of civil rights, 42 U.S.C. § 1983 will normally
be the basis for the claim.
2. Claims under 42 U.S.C. § 1985 are limited. Generally that section prohibits certain
categories of conduct relating to two or more persons acting together, or in a conspiracy, as provided
for in the statute itself. In most instances, you must show that the conspiracy was entered for a racial
or class-based reason.
Defendant's Relationship to the State: In order for your action to be heard in federal court under
Section 1983, you must be able to show that the defendant(s), at the time the claims alleged in the
complaint, were acting under the authority or color of state law. As you note the name of each
defendant, you also should indicate whether that defendant under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 is a person who
acted "under the color of state law." This generally means that the person is a state official, a state
employee, or someone who was acting in the name of the state under authority granted by the state,
county, city, or other non-federal government entity. Normally a claim under 42 U.S.C. § 1985
requires class-based or racial hostility before it may proceed. Note: This is not a complete
statement of the law on this subject; rather, it is intended to provide general guidance as you
determine who to name as a defendant in your action.
C. Parties: Next, you name the parties. As the person initiating the lawsuit, you are the
plaintiff and must identify yourself as such. For each defendant named in your complaint, you
should list their current address and a description of their employment. In addition, you should
explain briefly how or in what capacity each defendant acted under authority given them by state or
local government.
D. Nature of the Case: This section requires a brief statement of (i) the civil right that
you allege has been violated by the defendant(s), and (ii) a description of how the defendant(s)
violated that right.
2
E. Cause of Action: In this section, you are required to provide specific details of
precisely how your civil right allegedly was violated. This description should include references to
relevant dates, times, and locations. It should explain to the court what happened by specifically
describing each defendant's behavior or action and how that behavior or action -- or lack of action
-resulted in the violation of your right. You are not required to cite other cases in the law or to make
a legal argument. However, you must be specific about (i) the particulars of the event, (ii) each
defendant's misconduct, and how such misconduct resulted in a violation or denial of the civil right
at issue in the case.
Where your complaint includes more than one incident, you should clearly distinguish
between them by preparing a separate description -- usually a paragraph -- for each incident. Each
incident should be identified as a separate count, and each count must include appropriate facts and
evidence in support of the claims made in the count. Each incident must be clearly and specifically
described; it should include the relevant time, date, and location. Each incident description also
should clearly identify the relevant defendant and what that defendant's role was in the incident.
If your case involves an allegation that two or more defendants jointly conspired to violate
your civil rights, you must, in a separate count, state the approximate date the defendants entered into
the conspiracy. Moreover, in the supporting facts, you should refer to any evidence you have that
the defendants indeed did conspire together to violate your civil right.
F. Injury: In this section you must state as specifically as possible the actual injury you
suffered from the action of the defendant that resulted in the alleged violation of your civil right.
Simply stating that your civil right has been violated is insufficient and will do little to persuade the
judge that you have suffered an injury for which you should be compensated. As the plaintiff, you
must explain to the judge how the action of the defendant(s) harmed you and violated your civil
rights.
G. Previous Lawsuits and Administrative Relief: It is important, in this section, that
you alert the judge to any other case in which you are or were a party that may be connected with the
case you now are filing. If, for example, you filed an earlier case that includes some of the same
facts and events you rely on for this case, the court needs to know. If you have submitted a formal
complaint to an agency of the state on the issues you raise in this case, or if you previously asked for
or participated in an administrative review process to attempt to solve the problem, you must tell the
court the results, if any, of your action.
H. Request for Relief: In this section, you describe for the judge the result or relief
you seek as a result of your lawsuit. The relief you request must be related specifically to the injury
you have suffered.
3
I. Declaration Under Penalty of Perjury: You must sign your complaint and file it
with the clerk of court. When you do, you are making a declaration under law to the court that
everything in your complaint is true. It is important for you to realize that the judge assigned to your
case can order sanctions or penalties against you or any other party that files complaints or pleadings
that are frivolous, without merit, based on false or misleading information, etc. These sanctions or
penalties can take many forms. Examples include dismissing your case, assessing fines, requiring
you to pay the attorney costs for the opposing party, limiting your filing privileges in federal court,
etc. If you intentionally make false statements in documents you file with the clerk, you may be
charged with criminal lying, or perjury, an offense with potentially serious consequences.
FILING THE COMPLAINT
You may file the complaint with the court by delivering it or mailing it to the Office of the
Clerk of Court, United States Courthouse, Room 1.100, 351 South West Temple, Salt Lake
City, Utah 84101. Whether you deliver or mail your complaint to the court, you must submit (i)
an original and one copy of the complaint, (ii) a completed cover sheet, a copy of which can be
obtained from the clerk's office, and (iii) the $400 filing fee.
The $400 filing fee can be waived by the court if you complete, and the court accepts, an
application to proceed in forma pauperis. An application to proceed in forma pauperis asks the
court to have the government pay your filing fee for you because you do not have the money to do
so yourself. Applications to proceed in forma pauperis are available at the clerk's office, and are also
available as part of the court's Pro Se Litigant Guide. You should submit your application to
proceed in forma pauperis along with your complaint to the clerk's office. If the court grants your
application, you will be able to proceed without paying the $400 filing fee. If the court does not
grant your application, you must pay the $400 filing fee within two weeks of the denial of your
application or your complaint will not be accepted by the court.
Note: Each defendant named in your lawsuit must be notified of your lawsuit in a
specific manner governed by law. You should refer to the court's Pro Se Litigant guide for
information on this matter.
4
Name:
Address:
Telephone:
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF UTAH
DIVISION
(Full Name)
PLAINTIFF CIVIL RIGHTS COMPLAINT
(42 U.S.C §1983, §1985)
vs.
CIVIL NO.
(Supplied by Clerk)
DEFENDANTS
A. JURISDICTION
1. Jurisdiction is proper in this court according to:
a. 42 U.S.C. §1983
b. 42 U.S.C. §1985
c. Other (Please Specify)
2. NAME OF PLAINTIFF _____________________________________________
IS A CITIZEN OF THE STATE OF ___________________________________
PRESENT MAILING ADDRESS: ____________________________________
____________________________________
3. NAME OF FIRST DEFENDANT
IS A CITIZEN OF
(City and State)
IS EMPLOYED AS at .
(Position and Title if Any) (Organization)
Was the defendant acting under the authority or color of state law at the time these
claims occurred?
YES NO . If your answer is "YES" briefly explain.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
4. NAME OF SECOND DEFENDANT
(If applicable)
IS A CITIZEN OF
(City and State)
IS EMPLOYED AS at .
(Position and Title if Any) (Organization)
Was the defendant acting under the authority or color of state law at the time these
claims occurred?
YES NO . If your answer is "YES" briefly explain.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
5. NAME OF THIRD DEFENDANT
(If applicable)
IS A CITIZEN OF
(City and State)
IS EMPLOYED AS at .
(Position and Title if Any) (Organization)
Was the defendant acting under the authority or color of state law at the time these
claims occurred?
YES NO . If your answer is "YES" briefly explain.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
6. NAME OF FOURTH DEFENDANT
(If applicable)
IS A CITIZEN OF
(city and State)
IS EMPLOYED AS at .
(Position and Title if Any) (Organization)
Was the defendant acting under the authority or color of state law at the time these
claims occurred?
YES NO . If your answer is "YES" briefly explain.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
(Use additional sheets of paper if necessary.)
B. NATURE OF CASE
1. Why are you bringing this case to court? Please explain the circumstances that led to the
problem.
C. CAUSE OF ACTION
1. I allege that my constitutional rights, privileges or immunities have been violated and that
the following facts form the basis for my allegations: (If necessary you may attach additional
pages)
a. (1) Count I:
(2) Supporting Facts: (Describe exactly what each defendant did or did not do.
State the facts clearly in your own words without citing legal authority or
arguments.)
b. (1) Count II:
(2) Supporting Facts:
c. (1) Count III:
(2) Supporting Facts:
D. INJURY
1. How have you been injured by the actions of the defendant(s)?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
E. PREVIOUS LAWSUITS AND ADMINISTRATIVE RELIEF
1. Have you filed other lawsuits in state or federal court that deal with the same facts that are
involved in this action or otherwise relate to the conditions of your imprisonment?
YES / NO . If your answer is "YES," describe each lawsuit. (If there is more
than one lawsuit, describe additional lawsuits on additional separate pages, using the same
outline.)
a. Parties to previous lawsuit:
Plaintiff(s):
Defendant(s):
b. Name of court and case or docket number:
c. Disposition (for example: Was the case dismissed? Was it appealed? Is it still
pending?)
d. Issues raised:
e. When did you file the lawsuit? __________________________________
Date Month Year
f. When was it (will it be) decided? __________________________________
2. Have you previously sought informal or formal relief from the appropriate administrative
officials regarding the acts complained of in Part C? YES / NO . If your answer
is "YES" briefly describe how relief was sought and the results. If your answer is "NO"
explain why administrative relief was not sought.
F. REQUEST FOR RELIEF
1. I believe that I am entitled to the following relief:
DECLARATION UNDER PENALTY OF PERJURY
The undersigned declares under penalty of perjury that he/she is the plaintiff in the above
action, that he/she has read the above complaint, and that the information contained therein is true
and correct. 28 U.S.C. §1746; 18 U.S.C §1621.
Executed at on 20___.
(Location) (Date)
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