Harrington v. City of Chicago

Claims of excessive force by police officers are at the heart of this suit brought under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. However, before the merits could be heard, the repeated inattention of the plaintiffs attorney to the case caused the district court to dismiss it for want of prosecution. The attorney, T. Lee Boyd, Jr., then moved, on behalf of his clients, to vacate the dismissal. The district court denied the motion, and we affirm.