Opinion ID: 1172230
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Prejudice to defendants

Text: The Sammises appear to argue that Rule 4(a)(2) imposes a burden on defendants to show prejudice stemming from the late service and that a court cannot dismiss a case pursuant to this rule absent such a showing. The Sammises also assert that lack of prejudice to the defendants should be a consideration in the good cause analysis. By its terms, however, Rule 4(a)(2) imposes the burden of preventing dismissal for violation of the rule upon the party who failed to effect timely servicehere, the Sammises. In addition, the rule's language renders a consideration of prejudice to the defendants irrelevant to good cause determinations. The rule required the Sammises to show good cause why such service was not made within the stated time frame. I.R.C.P. 4(a)(2) (1994) (emphasis added). As a federal court noted when interpreting identical language in the analogous federal rule, lack of prejudice to the defendant does not constitute a reason why service could not be made. Floyd, 900 F.2d at 1048. Federal courts have also held that a lack of prejudice to defendants, by itself, cannot constitute good cause. See, e.g., MCI Telecomm. Corp. v. Teleconcepts, Inc., 71 F.3d 1086, 1097 (3d Cir.1995), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 117 S.Ct. 64, 136 L.Ed.2d 25 (1996); Floyd, 900 F.2d at 1048-49. Because the Sammises have not proffered a legitimate reason for the late service and thus have not demonstrated good cause (as discussed above), the respondents' lack of a showing of prejudice is irrelevant. The purported absence of prejudice does not support the Sammises' allegation of good cause.