Glossary
Dismissal without prejudice
A dismissal that doesn't bar the plaintiff from refiling the same claim later. Used when the case has procedural problems that could be fixed, or when the plaintiff voluntarily dismisses early.
If your case is dismissed without prejudice for, say, lack of personal jurisdiction or improper venue, you can refile in the right court: assuming the statute of limitations hasn't run out.
Plaintiffs sometimes voluntarily dismiss without prejudice early in a case to fix problems with the complaint or to refile in a different court. There are usually limits: you can typically dismiss once without prejudice as a matter of right; a second voluntary dismissal can convert to dismissal with prejudice.
The statute of limitations clock generally keeps running while a case is dismissed. If you wait too long to refile after a dismissal, the new lawsuit can be barred by the statute of limitations even though it was filed timely the first time.