Reported / Citable
Background
Slade Shipping, Inc., doing business as Slade Global, sued Nex Venture and other defendants. On May 19, 2026, the court allowed Slade Shipping’s attorneys to withdraw because the company had failed to communicate with them and pay their fees.
The court had warned the company’s representative that Slade Shipping, as a corporate entity, could not proceed without counsel. It also noted that the deadline to serve the defendants had expired five months earlier and that Slade Shipping had made no attempt to serve them.
The Court’s Holding
The court’s earlier order gave Slade Shipping one final opportunity to comply. It directed the company to retain counsel immediately and file proof that every defendant had been properly served by June 26, 2026.
The provided opinion text ends after recounting that order and its warning that noncompliance would result in dismissal of all claims. It does not include the memorandum and recommendation’s operative recommendation or otherwise state whether the action was dismissed.
Key Takeaways
- A corporation cannot litigate pro se and must appear through licensed counsel.
- Slade Shipping had not attempted service even though the service deadline had expired five months earlier.
- The court imposed a June 26, 2026 deadline and warned that failure to retain counsel and prove proper service would result in dismissal.
Why It Matters
The proceeding illustrates the consequences corporate litigants face when they lose counsel and fail to complete timely service. Courts may provide a final opportunity to cure those deficiencies, but an explicit dismissal warning places the company on notice that continued noncompliance can terminate its claims.
Because the supplied text omits the document’s concluding recommendation, it does not establish the ultimate disposition of Slade Shipping’s action.