What Does Dismissed Without Prejudice Mean?

When you have a court date, the best thing you can hear upon arrival is, “Your criminal case has been dismissed.” However, we need to define dismissal because a case can be “dismissed without prejudice” or “dismissed with prejudice,” that small phrase makes a big difference. 

There are different types of dismissals, whether voluntary or involuntary. When a case is dismissed, the court refers to it as “with prejudice” or “without prejudice.” 

If your case is unfairly dismissed, all charges are ultimately dropped. This is a final decision. The case will have no impact on your criminal record and won’t be picked up at a later date. You are free and clear.

If a criminal case is unfairly dismissed, the prosecution cannot again charge the defendant with the exact or related criminal charges. However, prosecutors can file completely different charges against the defendant for something else.

If the judge dismisses a case without prejudice dismissal, then the prosecutor can refile that case against the defendant at a later date. The proceedings might be delayed, but the defendant still faces a potential criminal conviction.

Note that when a criminal case is dismissed without prejudice, the prosecution can pursue charges for the same crime later. 

The process for dismissing a case is relatively simple and involves one of the following:

If the plaintiff files, the plaintiff can throw out the case at any time, for any reason, regardless of whether they plan to pursue criminal charges or compensation in another form of court. If the defense files, the defense attorney has to provide a reason for requesting that the judge consider dismissing the case.

The plaintiff can respond if the defendant's attorney has filed a motion to dismiss, explaining why the judge should legally reject the case. The plaintiff can attempt to persuade the judge that the case should continue despite the objections and why.

Let’s look at an example of how this might proceed with prejudice and without prejudice:

Clary was pulled over and arrested for driving under the influence. She now faces criminal charges for a DUI. Her attorney has filed a motion to dismiss, urging the court to end the case because there is insufficient evidence against her. 

The judge can allow the plaintiff to fix problems with the case rather than dismiss it entirely. So, the judge ignores the case without prejudice, permitting the prosecution time to gather sufficient evidence against Clary.

The judge decided the prosecution wouldn’t be able to gather sufficient evidence after the fact and dismissed the case with prejudice so that all charges against Clary were dropped and could not be brought against her again. If she is pulled over in the future and arrested for driving under the influence with proper cause, that represents a new case, but he cannot face charges for the arrest that was dismissed with prejudice.

If an individual case is before the court, an attorney might be working to develop a sound legal defense only to find that the case has been dismissed at any point before the court. That case can be dismissed anytime between the defendant’s arrest and charge with a crime and the potential conviction.

Some examples of when a criminal case can be dismissed include the following:

Criminal law gives a few legal reasons for dismissing a case without prejudice. If a case is dismissed without prejudice, it is rejected for now. However, the prosecution can refile the case later if they have better evidence or more evidence or can refile in a more appropriate court.

Yes, a plaintiff can choose to dismiss a case voluntarily. However, if the plaintiff dismisses the case without prejudice, this could mean that they simply need to file in another court. Similarly, they could file a lawsuit in a different state or a federal court instead of a state court.

For example, Katie was involved in a car accident that she claims was not her fault. She is currently in the trial court in San Francisco with her car accident claim. But she realizes she could file in small claims court instead with less hassle and walk away with an acceptable amount of compensation. So, she voluntarily filed a motion to dismiss the trial court claim in San Francisco.

Yes, a case can be dismissed without prejudice by the court, which means the case has been dismissed involuntarily. A judge can ignore a case without discrimination because of objections that have been raised. Usually, a judge will dismiss a case without prejudice after the defense attorney has requested it on their client’s behalf. It’s sporadic for a judge to arbitrarily look at a case and decide to dismiss it without being asked. Usually, the court can ignore cases without prejudice when the law isn’t followed correctly.

For example, Jack was the subject of a lawsuit. Jack had to be served appropriately with papers telling him he was involved in a lawsuit. The state in which Jack lives requires someone to serve him those papers in person. But Jack never received his copy of the lawsuit. This qualifies as improper service and grounds for dismissal.

OR

Martin is involved in criminal charges for serving alcohol to minors at a barbecue at his house. Somehow, this charge was brought before the small claims court when it is technically a criminal case and, therefore, not appropriate for the small claims court, which is meant for civil cases. The attorney might request that the judge dismiss the case because it’s in the wrong venue.

The time for a case to remain dismissed without prejudice depends on the charges brought against the defendant. Every criminal charge has a statute of limitations. If the case is dismissed without prejudice, the prosecution has to abide by the statute of limitations for the crime.

Using the example of Katie and her car accident from above, Katie might have two years to file a personal injury lawsuit. After 12 months, she voluntarily dismissed her original claim and filed it in the small claims court. She has one year left after her first case is dismissed without prejudice to follow up with a claim in the other court.

After a dismissal without prejudice, the defendant will receive notification from the court or attorney. It is essential to stay vigilant because this type of dismissal doesn’t mean the ordeal is over. The prosecution can submit charges again, and they will in many cases.

If, for example, the original reason for dismissal was because they didn’t have enough evidence, they will attempt to uncover more evidence or refile the case with lesser charges for which they have sufficient evidence.

Henry was charged with Domestic Battery in this example, but the courts dismissed the case without prejudice because there wasn’t enough evidence. The prosecution might have enough evidence to instead support a domestic assault charge because of the threatening environment that Henry created, even if he didn’t use physical violence.

Understanding the statute of limitations for your situation is essential because, once that statute of limitations runs out, the prosecution can no longer refile, no matter how the case was dismissed, so there is a chance that the criminal charges may never resurface.

If your case was dismissed without prejudice, it is essential to contact your attorney. Should you have a power of attorney arrangement with your lawyer, they already possess the legal authority to act on your behalf in such situations. They can review the statute of limitations for your specific criminal charges, what the plaintiff or prosecution will do, and what to expect moving forward.

In many circumstances, the attorney isn’t notified that charges have been refiled against his or her client, so it’s always crucial that the court has your correct address and that you look for any document in the mail regarding refiled charges. You will want to speak with your defense attorney immediately if you receive such notice.

If you or someone you care about has been charged with a crime, asking questions like, “What does it mean when your case is dismissed without prejudice?” or “How long can a case be dismissed without prejudice?” is expected. This information for answering, “What does dismissed without prejudice mean?” is only general information.

Reasonable criminal defense attorneys at a local law firm can help you by cultivating an attorney-client relationship and reviewing the legal reason behind your dismissal.