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D. Minn.Procedural orderFiled Feb. 2, 2021

Zean v. Comcast Broadband Security

Judge
Wilhelmina Wright
Docket
0:17-cv-05117
Court
U.S. District Court · District of Minnesota
Pages
2
Civil Procedure
In one sentence

In Zean v. Comcast Broadband Security, Judge Wright dismissed the action with prejudice because Zean failed to prosecute it.

Who this affects

The dismissal ended Samuel Gaygbou Zean’s action against Comcast Broadband Security, LLC, and the other defendants, with prejudice for failure to prosecute.

What happened

Samuel Gaygbou Zean started the lawsuit in November 2017 against Comcast Broadband Security, LLC, and others. The court said he had filed nothing since the court denied his motions to vacate an arbitration award on December 17, 2019; his last filing was on September 27, 2019.

The court relied on Rule 41(b) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and its authority to manage cases. It concluded that dismissing the action for failure to prosecute was warranted.

Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright ordered that the action be dismissed with prejudice for failure to prosecute and directed that judgment be entered.

The detailed version

For law students, journalists, and other readers who want the full reasoning

Case
Zean v. Comcast Broadband Security · No. 0:17-cv-05117
Judge
Wilhelmina Wright
Date
Feb. 2, 2021

Background

Samuel Gaygbou Zean commenced this lawsuit in November 2017. The court stated that Zean filed nothing after the court denied his motions to vacate an arbitration award on December 17, 2019. The court identified September 27, 2019, as Zean’s last filing in the case.

Legal Standard

Under Rule 41(b) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and under a district court’s inherent authority to manage its cases, a court may dismiss a complaint for failure to prosecute. The opinion explains that an involuntary dismissal under Rule 41(b), except in limited circumstances not presented here, operates as an adjudication on the merits.

Ruling

The court concluded that dismissal for failure to prosecute was warranted. Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright ordered that the action be dismissed with prejudice for failure to prosecute and directed that judgment be entered.

The authoritative version

Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.

Open opinion PDF →
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