Civil Rights Complaint Page 5
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12Declaration Under Penalty of Perjury: You must sign your complaint and file it
I.
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.
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