COFFIN, Senior Circuit Judge.
After appellants' attorney failed to appear for a scheduled pretrial conference, the district court dismissed the complaint and fined the attorney $1,000. Appellants argue on appeal that, while sanctions were appropriate, dismissal of the action constituted an abuse of discretion. We agree that, in the circumstances of this case, the court imposed an excessive sanction and we therefore vacate the dismissal.
I. FACTS
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