Opinion ID: 714860
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Al-Torki's failure to appear.

Text: 16 Al-Torki argues that dismissal and default is too harsh a sanction for failure to appear, where the failure is caused by excusable neglect, mistake, or good cause. 17 We review dismissal for failure to prosecute pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 41(b) for abuse of discretion. Henderson v. Duncan, 779 F.2d 1421, 1423 (9th Cir.1986). A default judgment may be set aside for mistake, inadvertence, surprise, excusable neglect, fraud, misrepresentation, or other misconduct of an adverse party. See Fed.R.Civ.Proc. 55(c) (incorporating Rule 60(b) standards). We review for abuse of discretion the denial of a motion to set aside entry of default judgment. Cassidy v. Tenorio, 856 F.2d 1412, 1415 (9th Cir.1988). 18 A district judge is required to weigh several factors in determining whether to dismiss a case for lack of prosecution. Henderson, 779 F.2d at 1423. These factors include: (1) the public's interest in expeditious resolution of litigation; (2) the court's need to manage its docket; (3) the risk of prejudice to the defendants; (4) the public policy favoring disposition of cases on their merits and (5) the availability of less drastic sanctions. Id. There must also be a showing of unreasonable delay. Id. The district court is not required to make explicit findings on the essential factors. Id. at 1424. Three factors should be evaluated when considering a motion to reopen a default judgment: (1) whether the defendant's culpable conduct led to the default, (2) whether the defendant has a meritorious defense, and (3) whether the plaintiff would be prejudiced if the judgment is set aside. Cassidy, 856 F.2d at 1415. See also Meadows v. Dominican Republic, 817 F.2d 517, 521 (9th Cir.1987). 19 Al-Torki says in his brief that the dismissal should be set aside because he operated under a mistake and misunderstanding and because he has a meritorious claim. We assume for purposes of discussion that he has a meritorious claim. The jury thought so, and after the previous judge had set aside the verdict, the district court nevertheless partly denied summary judgment to Kaempen and decided there was a triable issue of fact. 20 Our problem with Al-Torki's argument is that we cannot see what evidence there is in the record for his claim of mistake or misunderstanding. The district judge said in response to Al-Torki's lawyer's argument that Al-Torki had lost confidence in his attorney, that the loss of confidence came only after Al-Torki did not fly to California as ordered for pretrial and trial, and that Al-Torki may be doing something cute. He decided that Al-Torki should not be treated as a babe in the woods, and that he was systematically violating court orders. He thought there was a possibility that Al-Torki was attempting to stall the California proceeding until after he had obtained a judgment in some other forum. Al-Torki submitted no evidence that he did not know he was supposed to be in court in California, that he could not for medical, financial or other reasons be in court in California, or that he misunderstood in any way the district court's order to him that he be in court in California at the time set. 21 Thus the factual predicate for our review must be that Al-Torki knew and understood that his trial was to commence on a certain date, and that the court had ordered him personally to be present for pretrial and trial; that he was able to comply with the court order; that he willfully elected not to comply; and that he failed to appear personally or by counsel at the time his case was called for trial. 22 Dismissal with prejudice and default on counterclaims, for willful and inexcusable failure to prosecute, are proper exercises of discretion under Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 41(b), 16(f), and the inherent power of the court. Link v. Wabash R.R. Co., 370 U.S. 626, 633, 82 S.Ct. 1386, 1390, 8 L.Ed.2d 734 (1962); Malone v. United States Postal Serv., 833 F.2d 128, 130 (9th Cir.1987); Henderson v. Duncan, 779 F.2d 1421, 1423 (9th Cir.1986); Kung v. FOM Inv. Corp., 563 F.2d 1316, 1318 (9th Cir.1977); Cunningham v. United States, 295 F.2d 535, 536 (9th Cir.1961); DuBose v. Minnesota, 893 F.2d 169, 171 (8th Cir.1990). Although any such dismissal and default prevents disposition on the merits, and we assume for purposes of discussion that Al-Torki was prejudiced because his case was meritorious, nevertheless the culpability of a willful failure to appear for trial, and the prejudice to the side which does appear for trial, as well as the interference with the court's docket, may be held by the district court to outweigh those factors. Cassidy, 856 F.2d at 1415. 23 Failure to appear for trial, without excuse, prejudices an adversary and interferes with the court's docket about as much as any procedural default can. The other side is likely to have spent thousands of dollars getting its lawyers ready to try the case and arranging for witnesses and exhibits to be available. If the trial does not proceed, the money and effort will have been wasted. The judge is likely to have gone to considerable trouble to clear out time from criminal cases, motion hearings, work in chambers, and other matters, for the civil trial. In many cases, though not this one, jurors and witnesses will have been put to great inconvenience. This is no doubt why the inherent power of a court to dismiss with prejudice for failure to prosecute is of ancient origin. Link, 370 U.S. at 630, 82 S.Ct. at 1388 (citing 3 Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England 450-51 (1768)). 24 The dismissal with prejudice and default on counterclaims were appropriate exercises of discretion. 25