When a party who files a lawsuit unreasonably delays moving the lawsuit toward a resolution (delays prosecution of the case), it is presumed the case has been abandoned, and the court may dismiss the lawsuit for want of prosecution. Such a dismissal for want of prosecution is commonly referred to as a DWOP. A party may ask the court to dismiss a case for want of prosecution, or the judge may do so without a request from a party (sua sponte).
In Oregon, if a party who has filed a lawsuit fails to actively pursue the case, it may be presumed that the case has been abandoned. This can lead to the court dismissing the case for want of prosecution, often abbreviated as DWOP. Either a party involved in the lawsuit can request the court to dismiss the case on these grounds, or the court may decide to do so on its own initiative, which is known as a sua sponte dismissal. The specific rules and timeframes for when a court may dismiss a case for want of prosecution are outlined in Oregon's Rules of Civil Procedure. It is important for parties to a lawsuit to be aware of these rules to avoid having their case dismissed due to inactivity.