Gates v. Quartzsite, Town of et al

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WO
IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA
Cameron Gates,
Plaintiff,
v.
Town of Quartzsite, et al.,
Defendants.
No. CV-25-03627-PHX-SHD
ORDER
By prior Order, I granted pro se Plaintiff Cameron Gates’ Application to Proceed In
Forma Pauperis, screened his Complaint, (Doc. 1), pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2), and
granted Gates leave to file a First Amended Complaint to cure the deficiencies identified
in his § 1983 Equal Protection claim against the Town of Quartzsite. (Doc. 8.) Gates filed
his First Amended Complaint, (Doc. 13), on May 7, 2026.
I have screened Gates’ First Amended Complaint pursuant to 28 U.S.C.
§ 1915(e)(2). Gates may now serve the First Amended Complaint and Summons on the
Defendants.1
IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED that the First Amended Complaint, (Doc. 13),
may proceed.
1 As I cautioned in my prior Order, the preparation of filings by an attorney who has
not entered an appearance, i.e., ghostwriting, is unacceptable. See Flynn v. Love, 2023 WL
2561158, at *4 (D. Nev. 2023). An attorney who ghostwrites filings for an ostensibly pro
se litigant may be subject to discipline. I further advise Gates that, should he continue to
proceed pro se, he will not be entitled to recover attorneys’ fees associated with this action.
Kay v. Ehrler, 499 U.S. 432, 435 (1991) (“[A] pro se litigant who is not a lawyer is not
entitled to attorney’s fees.”) (emphases in original)).
Case 2:25-cv-03627-SHD Document 14 Filed 05/18/26 Page 1 of 2

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IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that Gates shall serve the First Amended Complaint
and Summons on the Defendants pursuant to Rule 4 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure
and may choose to request that the Defendants waive service of the First Amended
Complaint and Summons under Rule 4(d).
Dated this 18th day of May, 2026.
Case 2:25-cv-03627-SHD Document 14 Filed 05/18/26 Page 2 of 2