Goddard v. Service Employees International Union Local 32bj

**Goddard v. Service Employees International Union Local 32bj** **What Happened** A worker named Goddard sued his union, Service Employees International Union Local 32bj, claiming he was wrongfully terminated from his job. However, Goddard later voluntarily dropped his lawsuit. After dismissing the case himself, Goddard changed his mind and asked the court to reopen the case so he could continue fighting his termination. **What the Court Decided** The court refused to reopen Goddard's case. The judge ruled that Goddard waited too long to ask for the case to be reopened and failed to show the extraordinary circumstances that would be needed to restart a case he had voluntarily dismissed. Since Goddard chose to drop his lawsuit on his own, the court found no compelling reason to give him another chance. **Why This Matters for Workers** This case shows workers the importance of carefully considering their legal decisions before dropping a lawsuit. Once you voluntarily dismiss your case, courts are very reluctant to let you restart it later. Workers should thoroughly discuss with their attorneys the consequences of dismissing a case, as getting a second chance is extremely difficult and requires exceptional circumstances.