PAUL G. BYRON, District Judge.
Plaintiff, an inmate at the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex, alleges in his pro se complaint
Plaintiff's motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis (Doc. 2) is DENIED. Plaintiff's initial partial filing fee under the PLRA would be $645.41, which exceeds the filing fee of $400.00. (Doc. 10.) His average monthly deposits for the six months prior to his suit were $3,227.07 and his current balance is $1571.59.
The PLRA, at 42 U.S.C. § 1997e, reads:
Plaintiff is required to exhaust his administrative remedies before filing suit, regardless of the relief offered through administrative procedures. Alexander v. Hawk, 159 F.3d 1321, 1325 (11th Cir. 1998).
The Bureau of Prisons has a three-level administrative remedy process if informal resolution procedures fail to achieve the inmate's desired results. See 28 C.F.R. § 542.10, et seq. The administrative remedy process is begun by filing a Request for Administrative Remedy at the institution where the inmate is incarcerated. If the inmate's complaint is denied, he may file a Regional Appeal with the Regional Office for the geographic region in which the inmate is confined. If the Regional Office denies relief, the inmate can appeal to the Office of General Counsel. Proper exhaustion requires the completion of all three steps of review. Irwin v. Hawk, 40 F.3d 347, 349, n. 2 (11th Cir. 1994) ("An inmate has not fully exhausted his administrative remedies until he has appealed through all three levels."); Jones v. Bock, 549 U.S. 199, 211 (2002) (unexhausted claims are not permitted).
Defendant has presented the sworn declaration of Jeanie Register, Legal Assistant Coleman. (Doc. 14, Exh. 2). Register attests that after reviewing BOP records, Plaintiff filed only one administrative remedy while in BOP Custody- a July 6, 2012, remedy appealing a disciplinary hearing that was filed prior to the initiation of this suit in 2019. That remedy was rejected and Plaintiff did not pursue any further steps in the BOP's process. Plaintiff has not filed any administrative remedies related to the present suit. In his response, he attaches two "Inmate Request to Staff" forms complaining of tooth pain dated April 30 and May 14, 2019. (Doc. 16.) He also includes an "Informal Resolution Form" dated May 21, 2019. (Doc. 16, pp. 20, 21, 27.) This may show that Plaintiff initiated the first step in the exhaustion process at or near the time of filing suit (his complaint was received May 16, 2019), he did not exhaust his administrative remedies
Because unexhausted claims are not permitted, Defendant's motion to dismiss (Doc. 14) is GRANTED. This case is DISMISSED without prejudice for the failure to exhaust administrative remedies. The Clerk is directed to enter judgment accordingly, terminate any pending motions, and close the file.