Legal Definitions - W.P.

W.P. stands for Want of Prosecution.

In legal terms, Want of Prosecution refers to the dismissal of a lawsuit because the party who initiated the case (the plaintiff) has failed to take the necessary steps to move it forward within a reasonable or legally mandated timeframe. Courts expect parties to actively pursue their claims. If a plaintiff allows their case to become dormant or fails to comply with court orders and deadlines, the court may dismiss the case due to a lack of diligent effort to prosecute it. This ensures that the court system isn't clogged with inactive cases and that defendants are not left indefinitely facing unresolved legal actions.

• Imagine a person who filed a lawsuit seeking compensation after a car accident. After filing the initial paperwork, they repeatedly failed to respond to requests from the opposing side for medical records, did not schedule any depositions (formal interviews under oath), and missed several court-imposed deadlines for submitting evidence. After many months of inactivity, the court, noting the plaintiff's lack of progress, could dismiss the case for Want of Prosecution. This means the lawsuit would be thrown out because the plaintiff wasn't actively pursuing it.

• Consider a small business that sued a supplier for breaching a contract by delivering faulty materials. After filing the lawsuit, the business's legal team failed to properly serve the lawsuit documents on the supplier within the legally required period, and then ignored subsequent court notices asking for an update on the case's status. If this inaction continues for an extended period, the court might dismiss the case due to Want of Prosecution, effectively ending the lawsuit because the plaintiff failed to advance it.

• Suppose a homeowner sued a construction company for significant damage caused during a renovation project. Although the lawsuit was filed, the homeowner then failed to hire an expert witness to assess the damage, did not attend mandatory mediation sessions ordered by the court, and ignored multiple communications from the court clerk regarding the case's lack of activity. If the court determines that the homeowner is not making a genuine effort to move the case towards resolution, it could dismiss the claim for Want of Prosecution.