Experian

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 11 MICHAEL LEON SMITH, JR. No. 2:25-cv-02629-TLN-SCR 12 Plaintiff, 13 v. ORDER 14 EXPERIAN, et al., 15 Defendants. 16 17 Plaintiff Michael Leon Smith, Jr., is proceeding pro se in this matter, which is referred to 18 the undersigned pursuant to Local Rule 302(c)(21) and 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1). Plaintiff has filed 19 a motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis (“IFP”) and has submitted a declaration listing 20 his income and expenses and averring an inability to pay the costs of this proceeding. The motion 21 to proceed IFP (ECF No. 2) will therefore be granted. However, for the reasons provided below, 22 the Court finds Plaintiff’s complaint is legally deficient and will grant Plaintiff leave to file an 23 amended complaint. 24 I. SCREENING 25 A. Legal Standard 26 The federal IFP statute requires federal courts to dismiss a case if the action is legally 27 “frivolous or malicious,” fails to state a claim upon which relief…