What is a potential consequence of not joining an indispensable party?

When an indispensable party is not joined in a legal action, one potential consequence is that the case may be dismissed. This occurs because the presence of all indispensable parties is necessary for the court to fully resolve the issues at hand and to ensure that the rights of all affected parties are adequately protected.

Indispensable parties are those whose absence would prevent the court from granting complete relief or whose interests would be significantly impacted by the outcome of the case. If they cannot be joined, the court may determine that proceeding without them would be unfair or could lead to inconsistent or inadequate relief, thus justifying dismissal.

In contrast, issues such as delaying the proceedings or needing to start over completely would typically relate to procedural matters or complications that arise post-decision, rather than being direct results of failing to join an indispensable party. Additionally, modifying the original claim could occur for various reasons unrelated to party joinder, making dismissal the clearest and most direct consequence in such a scenario.