Full Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA THOMAS KRAEMER, ) ) Plaintiff, ) ) v. ) Civil Action No. 26-1962 (UNA) ) LISA SPITALE, ESQ., ) ) Defendant. ) MEMORANDUM OPINION This matter is before the Court on review of Thomas Kraemer’s application to proceed in forma pauperis (ECF No. 2) and pro se complaint (ECF No. 1). The Court GRANTS the application, and for the reasons discussed below, DISMISSES the complaint and this civil action without prejudice. Plaintiff, a New York resident and principal of Kraemer, Inc., is the natural father of Emilie Kraemer. See Compl. ¶¶ 23, 25. He brings this action against Lisa Spitale, Esq., who continues to serve as Emilie’s guardian, see id. ¶¶ 26, 29, having been appointed by the Court of Common Pleas of Northampton County, Pennsylvania, Orphans Court Division, see e.g., id. ¶ 26. According to Plaintiff, Defendant’s appointment is void ab initio, see id. ¶ 27, and Plaintiff appears to challenge every decision made by Defendant and others with respect to Emilie’s education, care, and treatment, as well as the expenditure of funds on Emilie’s behalf, see, e.g., id. ¶¶ 28-29. In addition to monetary damages, Plaintiff demands an Order “vacating the fraudulent guardianship appointment as void ab initio and restoring Plaintiff’s parental rights and access to his daughter.” Id. at 61. This the Court cannot do. Generally, a federal district court lacks jurisdiction to review or overturn the rulings of a state court. See, e.g., Hankins v. North 1 Carolina, No. 21-5156, 2021 WL 4765428, at *1 (D.C. Cir. Oct. 7, 2021) (per curiam) (finding that “district court correctly concluded that it lacked jurisdiction over appellant’s claims, which sought review of adverse decisions of the North Carolina state courts”). Further, “[f]amily relations are a traditional area of state concern,” Moore v. Sims, 442 U.S. 415, 435 (1979), and the federal courts “customarily decline[] to intervene [in] the realm of domestic relations,” Elk Grove Unified School Dist. v. Newdow, 542 U.S. 1, 12 (2004). An Order is issued separately. DATE: August 18, 2026 AMIT P. MEHTA United States District Judge 2