The time for dismissal will generally be at the discretion of the judge. If this is a
criminal proceeding, the judge may grant the prosecution one or more continuances.
Usally the judge will grant a continuance to allow the plantiff to appear agian. If they don't appear a second time the case will usally be closed. This can vary with all judges and state laws. For instance in traffic court usally it can be dismissed the first day if it is regarding an uncontested ticket.
