February 7, 1996
[NOT FOR PUBLICATION]
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FIRST CIRCUIT
____________________
No. 95-1839
EMIL PRESCOTT DILL,
Plaintiff, Appellant,
v.
UNIVERSITY OF MAINE AT FARMINGTON,
Defendant, Appellee.
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APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF MAINE
[Hon. Morton A. Brody, U.S. District Judge] ___________________
____________________
Before
Torruella, Chief Judge, ___________
Boudin and Stahl, Circuit Judges. ______________
____________________
Emil Prescott Dill on brief pro se. __________________
Vendean V. Vafiades and Nina R. Lavoie on brief for appellee. ___________________ ______________
____________________
____________________
Per Curiam. The district court dismissed ___________
plaintiff-appellant's complaint for declaratory relief under
42 U.S.C. 1983, because plaintiff failed to allege a civil
rights violation in the defendant's refusal to certify a
transcript of his college course work after he defaulted on a
student loan. Plaintiff offers no reasoned support for his
1983 claim in this court. Issues raised, but not supported
in an appellant's brief are deemed abandoned. Brown v. _____
Trustees of Boston Univ., 891 F.2d 337, 352 (1st Cir. 1989). ________________________
Plaintiff now theorizes that he is entitled to a
certified transcript by virtue of Chapter 13 of the
Bankruptcy Code. He states that he has filed for bankruptcy
protection in a district court in Pennsylvania.1 This 1
claim, and a vague statutory debt collection claim which he
also raises for the first time on appeal, are not properly
before us because they were not presented below. See United ___ ______
States v. La Guardia, 902 F.2d 1010, 1013 (1st Cir. 1990). ______ __________
The proper forum for a debtor seeking relief in bankruptcy
generally is in the district court where his petition has
been filed. See 28 U.S.C. 1334(a)(e). ___
The judgment below is affirmed. ________
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1 Appellant does not seek a stay of this appeal and it is 1
not subject to an automatic stay under 11 U.S.C. 362,
because the action was filed by, rather than against, the
debtor. See Alpern v. Lieb, 11 F.3d 689, 690 (7th Cir. ___ ______ ____
1993).
2