Judge Orders Pro Se Plaintiff to File Sworn Affidavit About His Financial Shape

Pro se plaintiff Na’eem Betz’s refusal to answer questions about his “financial situation” in a hearing on a “contemporaneous” in forma pauperis (IFP) case (in the character or manner of a pauper) prompted Chief U.S. District Judge James Boasberg for the District of Columbia to order him to file an affidavit under oath by May 16 indicating how much money he has received from any of his lawsuits in the past 12 months, said Boasberg’s minute order Tuesday (docket 1:23-cv-1177). Betz’s affidavit should also say whether he received any income “from any other source whatsoever” in the past 12 months, said the order. Failure to provide the information may lead to a “reconsideration” of his IFP request, it said. Betz’s complaint alleges Comcast Cable repeatedly called his cellphone using an artificial or prerecorded voice, in violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. In presiding over Betz’s unrelated TCPA lawsuit against Synchrony Bank, Boasberg on Monday called Betz a “frequent pro se filer” (see 2305080020).