Opinion ID: 474498
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: I.W.'s Request for a Continuance

Text: 14 To the extent that the district court's dismissal of I.W.'s complaint was based on I.W.'s request for a continuance, our decision in Trakas v. Quality Brands, Inc., 759 F.2d 185, 187-88 (D.C.Cir.1985), requires us to find that the court abused its discretion. In Trakas, the district court dismissed a civil rights action for want of prosecution when, two days prior to trial, the plaintiff's attorney requested a continuance because unexpected financial difficulties prevented the plaintiff from appearing at trial. This court ordered the complaint reinstated, explaining: 15 We obviously do not condone plaintiff's waiting so long to bring her financial difficulties to the attention of counsel and of the court, but the error did not cause such consequences as to warrant the harsh sanction of dismissal. It is uncontroverted that up until the incident in question here, [the plaintiff] had pursued her claim diligently and expeditiously. No prior continuances had been sought.... The record discloses no evidence whatsoever of bad faith, deliberate misconduct, or tactical delay. 16 Id. Similarly in the instant case, I.W. proffered a reasonable explanation for its request, I.W. had not previously sought a continuance, and there was no evidence of bad faith, deliberate misconduct, or tactical delay. 17 It is indeed true that I.W. might have avoided the necessity of requesting a continuance had it served a subpoena on its missing witness. Affirming the district court on this basis, however, would be tantamount to ruling that litigants are required to subpoena all witnesses for trial, regardless of how certain they are that the witnesses will appear. To impose such a burden on litigants and the courts would be wasteful of administrative resources. Wells v. Rushing, 755 F.2d 376, 381 (5th Cir.1985). 18 In the circumstances of this case, I.W. had no reason to believe that a subpoena would be necessary. The witness had cooperated fully throughout discovery and had promised to appear at trial. The family emergency that required him to leave the country was entirely unexpected, and I.W. cannot be faulted for failing to anticipate such a development. We can find no authority for the proposition that, confronted with a request for a continuance under circumstances like those presented here, the district court has discretion not only to deny the request, but also to dismiss the action. Cf. United States v. Cacciatore, 487 F.2d 240, 244 (2d Cir.1973) (reversing trial judge's dismissal of a criminal prosecution for violation of the defendants' right to a speedy trial where the prosecutor acted reasonably in not subpoenaing essential witnesses for trial). 19 To be sure, the fact that I.W. twice represented to the court that the witness was essential to its case and that it could not proceed to trial without him suggests that serving him with a subpoena would have been prudent. If, rather than dismissing the action, the district court had merely denied I.W.'s request for a continuance, it could conceivably be argued that the district court should be affirmed because I.W. assumed the risk that its essential witness would not appear when it failed to subpoena him. Even under this scenario, however, there is persuasive authority that refusing to delay the trial would have been an abuse of discretion. See id.; accord Trakas v. Quality Brands, Inc., 759 F.2d at 187-88. We therefore hold that the district court abused its discretion both in dismissing I.W.'s complaint on the basis of its request for a continuance, and in refusing the requested continuance. 20