Court Opinion

ID: 2964944
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2015-09-21 21:33:15.980631+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:12:10.414622
License: Public Domain

USCA1 Opinion

	

                                [NOT FOR PUBLICATION]

                            UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
                                FOR THE FIRST CIRCUIT

                                 ____________________

        No. 97-1743

                            HECTOR GUZMAN-RIVERA, ET AL.,

                               Plaintiffs, Appellants,

                                          v.

                             HECTOR RIVERA-CRUZ, ET AL.,

                                Defendants, Appellees.

                                 ____________________

                     APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

                           FOR THE DISTRICT OF PUERTO RICO

             [Hon. Gilberto Gierbolini-Ortiz, Senior U.S. District Judge]
                                              __________________________

                                 ____________________

                                        Before

                                Torruella, Chief Judge,
                                           ___________
                           Stahl and Lynch, Circuit Judges.
                                            ______________

                                 ____________________

            Juan  R. Requena Davila and Law Offices Alvaro R. Calderon, Jr. on
            _______________________     ___________________________________
        brief for appellant.
            Esther  Castro  Schmidt  and  Gaztambide  &  Plaza  on  brief  for
            _______________________       ____________________
        appellees.

                                 ____________________

                                   October 14, 1997
                                 ____________________

                 Per  Curiam.  We  have reviewed the  briefs submitted by
                 ___________

            the  parties  and  the  record  on  appeal,  and  we  affirm.

            Appellants  argue the  court abused  its  discretion when  it

            dismissed the  action without prejudice  after being  advised

            the appellants could not locate two essential witnesses.

                 An  abuse  of discretion  may  not be  found  unless the

            court's  error  resulted  in  substantial  prejudice  to  the

            movant.   United States v.  Saccoccia, 58 F.3d 754,  770 (1st
                      ___________________________

            Cir. 1995).   We  see no prejudice  here, since  the district

            court offered appellants  the opportunity to return  to court

            if  they  were  able  to  locate  their  witnesses  within  a

            reasonable amount of time.  

                 Affirmed.  Loc. R. 27.1.
                 ________

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