Opinion ID: 503844
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Prejudice as an Optional Factor

Text: 30 A final consideration is the existence and degree of prejudice to the wronged party. This factor is purely optional. National Medical, 792 F.2d at 913. Also, in a case where the government is litigating, public policy concerns must also be weighed if these would be affected by a dismissal. Id. Halaco says it was prejudiced in two ways by EPA's actions. It suggests that the doctored NEIC report hindered its preparation for trial, and misled it about the EPA's findings regarding its site. This is really irrelevant, since the abuse complained of and which led to the dismissal was the preparation of the EMSL report. As for that document, Halaco says its false statements constituted public misinformation. Halaco claims, in effect, it was libeled by the EPA. It is an unfortunate fact that in litigation parties often make expansive, if sometimes incorrect, claims concerning their adversary's conduct. The fact is, though, that the EMSL report was never issued directly to the public, and, indeed, had never been used in litigation. The district court made no finding whether Halaco was prejudiced by the EPA's actions, nor was it required to since it is an optional factor for the imposition of dismissals. We hold, however, that Halaco has not made an effective showing that its position was prejudiced with the court. As for the important government interests at stake in this litigation, those go to the merits of the underlying case, and we make no comment on them here.