Sanders v. Union Pacific Railroad Co.

Sanders (plaintiff) sued his employer Union Pacific (defendant) for a workplace injury under the Federal Employers' Liability Act. The trial court's pretrial order set filing deadlines and expressly warned that dismissal was a possible sanction for noncompliance; Sanders's attorney missed most of the deadlines, citing being consumed by another case and a lack of cooperation from Union Pacific's attorneys, and never moved for a continuance or alerted the court to the problem until the last minute. The trial court dismissed the case with prejudice, and Sanders appealed.