Barnes, J.
Case Summary
Gersh Zavodnik appeals the dismissal of his lawsuits against Giselle Guzman, Brian Richards, and Steve Panayiotou. [Footnote omitted.] We affirm.
Issue
The sole issue is whether the trial court properly dismissed Zavodnik’s lawsuits against Guzman, Richards, and Panayiotou based upon their similarity to previous lawsuits that had been dismissed without prejudice under Indiana Trial Rule 41(E).
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Much like Trial Rule 12(B), we conclude that when a trial court has involuntarily dismissed a case without prejudice pursuant to Trial Rule 41(E), subsection (F) of that rule ascribes to the dismissing trial court the discretion to consider whether a complaint should be reinstated. Subsection (E) likewise provides options to a trial court to permit a complaint to proceed, despite rules violations by a plaintiff, in order to control its own docket and courtroom. We also presume that the Indiana Supreme Court, in drafting Trial Rule 41, did not intend to place a nullity in the rule by adding subsection (F)’s explicit procedure for how to go about reinstatement of a complaint dismissed without prejudice. Zavodnik’s position, that such complaints can be re-filed in a different court without following the reinstatement procedure, would render that provision meaningless. By re-filing complaints before Judge Dreyer that were substantially similar, if not identical, to complaints that Judge Oakes had already dismissed, Zavodnik was improperly attempting to circumvent Judge Oakes’s authority and discretion to decide whether Zavodnik had good cause to reinstate his original complaint(s). Judge Dreyer apparently recognized this and acted properly in dismissing the re-filed complaints, which dismissal served the interests of fairness to litigants, judicial comity, and judicial efficiency.
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Conclusion
Judge Dreyer acted properly in dismissing both complaints against Guzman, Richards, and Panayiotou. Zavodnik’s only remedy if he wishes to continue to pursue legal action against those parties is to obtain reinstatement of his original complaints before Judge Oakes. We affirm.
Affirmed.
BAKER, J., and RILEY, J., concur.