Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca8-06-01931/USCOURTS-ca8-06-01931-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Laurence Leach
Appellant
Waterway Car Wash
Appellee

Document Text:

United States Court of Appeals

FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT

___________

No. 06-1931

___________

Laurence Leach, *

*

Appellant, *

* Appeal from the United States

v. * District Court for the

* Western District of Missouri.

Waterway Car Wash, * 

* [UNPUBLISHED]

Appellee. *

___________

Submitted: February 27, 2007

Filed: March 2, 2007

___________

Before COLLOTON, MAGILL, and GRUENDER, Circuit Judges.

___________

PER CURIAM.

Laurence Leach appeals the district court’s dismissal with prejudice of his civil

complaint pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 41(b). We construe Leach’s

notice of appeal as an implicit motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis, and we

grant Leach’s request.

As to the merits, having carefully reviewed the record, we conclude that the

district court did not abuse its discretion in dismissing the complaint. Leach failed to

comply with the court’s order instructing him to serve defendant and to file a return

of service by a certain date, and the court had warned Leach that failure to comply

would result in dismissal of his complaint. See Good Stewardship Christian Ctr. v.

Appellate Case: 06-1931 Page: 1 Date Filed: 03/02/2007 Entry ID: 3284219
-2-

Empire Bank, 341 F.3d 794, 797 (8th Cir. 2003) (dismissal under Rule 41(b) reviewed

for abuse of discretion); Farnsworth v. City of Kansas City, Mo., 863 F.2d 33, 34 (8th

Cir. 1988) (per curiam) (pro se litigants are not excused from complying with court

orders). We believe, however, that the district court’s order should be modified to

dismiss the action without prejudice, as Leach’s conduct did not rise to the level of

willful disobedience or intentional delay. See Good Stewardship Christian Ctr., 341

F.3d at 797. Accordingly, we affirm, but modify the dismissal to be without

prejudice.

______________________________

Appellate Case: 06-1931 Page: 2 Date Filed: 03/02/2007 Entry ID: 3284219