Priest Momolu V.s. Sirleaf, Jr. v. Harold W. Clarke

UNPUBLISHED
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT
No. 21-6598
PRIEST MOMOLU V.S. SIRLEAF, JR.,
Plaintiff - Appellant,
v.
HAROLD W. CLARKE; A. DAVIDE ROBINSON; MARK E. PEARSON; MARK
E. ENGELKE; CHAPLAIN HOLLENBAUGH; CYNTHIA PUTNEY; LOUISE G.
GOODE,
Defendants – Appellees,
and
D. Y. KINSLEY,
Defendant.
Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, at
Richmond. M. Hannah Lauck, District Judge. (3:18-cv-00311-MHL-EWH)
Submitted: November 4, 2022 Decided: February 17, 2023
Before GREGORY, Chief Judge, and NIEMEYER and RUSHING, Circuit Judges.
Remanded by unpublished per curiam opinion.

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Priest Momolu V.S. Sirleaf, Jr., Appellant Pro Se.
Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.

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PER CURIAM:
Priest Momolu V.S. Sirleaf, Jr., seeks to appeal the district court’s order denying
relief in his 42 U.S.C. § 1983 action. The order was entered on March 9, 2021, and Sirleaf
had 30 days to file his notice of appeal. See Fed. R. App. P. 4(a)(1)(A). The district court
received Sirleaf’s notice of appeal after the expiration of the appeal period. Because Sirleaf
was incarcerated at the time of the appeal, the notice was considered filed as of the date it
was delivered to prison officials for mailing to the court. See Fed. R. App. P. 4(c)(1);
Houston v. Lack, 487 U.S. 266, 276 (1988). Sirleaf stated he delivered his notice of appeal
to prison officials for mailing on April 14, 2021, which would make the notice untimely.
However, Sirleaf also stated he did not receive the court’s order until April 13, 2021.
Accordingly, we remand this case for the limited purpose of allowing the district
court to determine whether Sirleaf’s notice of appeal should be construed as a motion for
an extension or reopening of the time to appeal under Fed. R. App. P. 4(a)(5), (6), and if
so, whether such an extension should be granted. The record, as supplemented, will then
be returned to this court for further consideration.
REMANDED

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