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Plaintiff Law Case Study

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PLAINTIFF’S REPLY TO DEFENDANTS’ RESPONSE TO PLAINTIFF’S MOTION TO DISMISS THIS PROCEEDING
COMES NOW the Plaintiff, the State of Kansas ex rel. Schmidt, and for their reply to Defendant’s Response to Plaintiff’s Motion to Dismiss this Proceeding, states the following:
1. Defendants state that the Plaintiff seeks a partial dismissal because we ask the Court to retain jurisdiction over the protective order. These two issues though are separate and distinct. Protective Orders normally survive after a disposition of a case because there is still a need to protect confidentially. United Nuclear Corp. v. Cranford Ins. Co., 905 F.2d 1424, 1427-28 (10th Cir. 1990). The terms of a protective order govern its duration and parties are bound by the terms …show more content…
Plaintiff’s Motion to Dismiss should be granted. The Kansas Supreme Court has held that voluntary dismissals should normally be granted as a matter of course. Gideon v. Bo-Mar Homes, Inc., 205 Kan. 321, 326, 469 P.2d 272, 277 (1970). Dismissal is essentially “more of a right of the plaintiff, subject to the impositions of reasonable conditions.” Estate of Nilges v. Shawnee Gun Shop, Inc., 44 Kan. App. 2d 905, 908-909, 242 P.3d 1211, 1213-1214 (2010). The Defendants have not shown why this case should deviate from the standard practice with dismissals. Plaintiffs feel that the nature of the case has fundamentally changed for them and that the change has required a re-evaluation of the purpose of the action. The Court should not force the Plaintiffs to continue on in this …show more content…
The Kansas Supreme Court has held that a voluntary dismissal should only be denied if the defendants suffer a “plain legal prejudice.” Gideon, 205 Kan. at 326. A “plain legal prejudice” requires more than just the plaintiff obtaining some tactical advantage. Id. Federal courts have stated that a defendant must lose a substantial right due to the dismissal. Pontenberg v. Boston Scientific Corp., 252 F.3d 1253, 1255 (11th Cir. 2001). Kansas Courts have ruled that certain things are categorically not legal prejudices, including the possibility of the claim being filed elsewhere or a defendant not having their issues settled in court. Estate of Nilges v. Shawnee Gun Shop, Inc., 44 Kan. App. 2d 905, 909-10, 242 P.3d 1211, 1214-15 (2010). Defendants do not even state what legal prejudice they may face from a dismissal. Defendants state their rights would be substantially prejudiced, but do not provide any information on how or why that would be the case. The Defendants have failed to show that they would actually face such prejudice and if they did, they would need to be able to show that such prejudice qualifies as legal prejudice under Kansas law. Since the Defendants have not met their burden, there are no grounds for the Court to deny the Plaintiffs motion for

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