Docket 23-971
Waetzig
DecidedFeb 26, 2025
9-0decision
Source: CourtListener.
Court rules dismissed lawsuits can be reopened under Rule 60(b) to challenge arbitration awards
Impact3/10
What it does
The Court held that a voluntary dismissal without prejudice under Rule 41(a) counts as a "final proceeding" under Rule 60(b), meaning a court has the power to reopen such a dismissed case. This resolves a split among federal appeals courts, siding with the Fifth and Seventh Circuits against the Tenth Circuit. The ruling does not decide whether reopening was actually appropriate in this specific case — that question goes back to the lower courts.
Who benefits
Plaintiffs who voluntarily dismissed their federal lawsuits without prejudice — for example, to pursue arbitration — and who later want to return to federal court to challenge the outcome of that arbitration.
Who is affected
Defendants in federal civil cases, such as employers facing discrimination claims, who may now face reopened lawsuits they believed were permanently closed after a voluntary dismissal.
Practical impact
Plaintiffs who dismissed their federal cases without prejudice — often to comply with arbitration agreements — now have a clear procedural path back to federal court under Rule 60(b) if they believe the arbitration was flawed. Courts in the Tenth Circuit (covering Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah, and Wyoming) must now follow this interpretation, aligning them with the Fifth and Seventh Circuits. However, reopening a case still requires satisfying Rule 60(b)'s other requirements, such as showing mistake or excusable neglect, and separate jurisdictional questions about challenging arbitration awards remain open for the lower courts to decide.
Majority — Alito
Joined by: Roberts, Thomas, Sotomayor, Kagan, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, Barrett, Jackson
The majority held that the word "final" in Rule 60(b) simply means that the case has been terminated — not that it ended with a court ruling on the merits. The Court reasoned that a voluntary dismissal without prejudice ends the lawsuit and strips the court of its ongoing power to revise earlier rulings, which is exactly the situation Rule 60(b) was designed to address. The majority rejected the argument that "final" should carry the same meaning it has in appellate jurisdiction law (where finality prevents premature appeals), explaining that Rule 60(b) serves a different purpose and is discretionary rather than a matter of right. On the word "proceeding," the Court found that legal dictionaries from 1938 onward define it broadly to include all steps in a lawsuit, and that reading it narrowly to require a judicial determination would make it redundant with the word "order." The majority also pointed to the historical roots of Rule 60(b) in a California statute that courts had already applied to voluntary dismissals, reinforcing that such dismissals were always meant to be covered.
Constitutional question
Does Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 60(b) — which allows courts to reopen a "final judgment, order, or proceeding" — apply to a lawsuit that was voluntarily dismissed without prejudice, so that a party can return to court after losing in arbitration?
Precedent changed
The ruling reverses the Tenth Circuit's decision in this case (82 F.4th 918) and resolves the circuit split by rejecting the Tenth Circuit's holding that a voluntary dismissal without prejudice cannot be a "final proceeding" under Rule 60(b).