INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS FOR A PRISONER FILING CIVIL RIGHTS COMPLAINT IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONAI. General Information About the Civil Rights Complaint Form:A. The Form. The civil rights complaint form is designed to help prisoners prepare a complaint seeking relief for a violation of their federal civil rights. Local Rule 3.2 requires that prisoner civil rights complaints be filed on the court-approved form. Your complaint must be typewritten or legibly handwritten. All information must be clearly and concisely written, only in the space provided on the form. If needed, you may attach no more than fifteen additional pages of standard letter size paper to continue any part of the complaint. You must identify which part of the complaint is being continued and number all pages.B. Your Signature. You must sign the complaint. Your signature constitutes a certificate that: 1) you have read the complaint; 2) to the best of your knowledge, information and belief formed after reasonable inquiry it is well grounded in fact and law; and 3) it is not being filed for any improper purpose. Please review Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Rule 11 provides for the imposition of sanctions if the complaint is signed in violation of the Rule.C. The Filing Fee. You must pay the $150 filing fee. If you are unable to pay the filing fee when the complaint is filed, you may request leave to proceed in forma pauperis. Please review the "Information for Prisoners Seeking Leave to Proceed with a (Non-Habeas) Civil Action in Federal Court In Forma Pauperis Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915" for more information.D. Court Divisions. If you resided in Maricopa, Pinal, Yuma, La Paz, or Gila county when your rights were allegedly violated, you should file your complaint in the Phoenix Division of the court. If you resided in Apache, Navajo, Coconino, Mohave, or Yavapai county when your rights were allegedly violated, you should file your complaint in the Prescott Division of the court. If you resided in Pima, Cochise, Santa Cruz, Graham, or Greenlee county when your rights were allegedly violated, you should file your complaint in the Tucson Division of the court. See Local Rule 1.1.You should mail THE ORIGINAL AND ONE COPY of your complaint with the $150 filing fee or the application to proceed in forma pauperis to:ORPhoenix & Prescott Divisions:Tucson Division:U.S. District Court ClerkU.S. District Court ClerkU.S. Courthouse, Suite 321U.S. Courthouse, Suite 1500401 West Washington Street, SPC 10405 West Congress StreetPhoenix, Arizona 85003-2119Tucson, Arizona 85701-501098-1983ins Revised 6/9812001 © American LegalNet, Inc.E. Certificate of Service on Defendants. You must furnish the opposing party or their attorney with a copy of any document you submit to the court (except the initial complaint and application to proceed in forma pauperis). Pursuant to Rules 5(a) and (d) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, each original document (except the initial complaint and application for leave to proceed in forma pauperis) must include a certificate of service on the last page of the document stating the date a copy of the document was mailed to the opposing party or their attorney and the address to which it was mailed. Any document received by the court which does not include a certificate of service may be stricken. A certificate of service should be in the following form:I hereby certify that a copy of the foregoing document was mailed thisday of(month), (year) , to:Name:Address:Attorney for Defendant(s)/Respondent(s)(Signature)F. Original and Judge's Copy. You must furnish an original and one copy of any document submitted to the court. You must furnish one additional copy to the clerk if you wish to have a file-stamped copy of the document returned to you. All copies must be identical to the original.G. Exhibits. You should not submit exhibits with the complaint. Instead, the relevant information should be paraphrased in the complaint. You should keep the exhibits to use to support or oppose a motion for summary judgment or at trial.H. Change of Address. You must immediately notify the clerk and the opposing party or their attorney in writing of any change in your mailing address. Failure to notify the court of any change in your mailing address may result in the dismissal of your case.I. Amended Complaint. If you need to change any of the information in the initial complaint, you must file an amended complaint. The amended complaint must be written on the court-approved civil rights complaint form. Rule 15(a) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure allows you to file one amended complaint prior to any defendant filing an answer. After any defendant has filed an answer, you must file a motion for leave to amend and lodge a proposed amended complaint. Local Rule 1.9(e) prohibits any amended pleading from referencing any prior pleading. Further, any allegations or defendants not included in the amended complaint are considered dismissed.J. Letters and Motions. It is generally inappropriate to write a letter to any of the District Judges, Magistrates Judges, or the staff of any of the judicial officers. The appropriate way to communicate with these persons is by filing a written pleading or motion.22001 © American LegalNet, Inc.II. Completing the Civil Rights Complaint Form:HEADING:1. Your Name. Print your name, prison or jail inmate number, and mailing address on the lines provided.2. Defendants. Print the names of each of your defendants. If you name more than four defendants, you should print the name of one defendant and "see additional page for defendants" in the space provided. On the additional page you must list the names of all of the defendants. This additional page should be inserted after page 1 and numbered as page "1-A" at the bottom of the page. The initial complaint must contain the names of all of the parties (plaintiffs as well as defendants) in the heading (or on the additional page if more than four defendants). See Rule 10(a) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.3. Jury Demand. If you want a jury trial, you must write "JURY TRIAL DEMANDED" on the line below "CIVIL RIGHTS COMPLAINT BY A PRISONER. Failure to do so will result in the loss of the right to a jury trial. A jury trial is not available if you are seeking only injunctive relief.Part A. JURISDICTION:1. Nature of Suit. Mark whether you are filing the complaint pur
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