Allowance for the disadvantage of self-represented litigants does not justify wholesale disregard of fundamental pleading requirements. A judge's expression of preliminary views during argument, provided those views are not fixed, does not give rise to apprehended bias. Leave to discontinue a defamation claim will ordinarily be granted where it does not cause injustice to the opponent, and the opponent's desire to vindicate reputation by defeating the claim on its merits is not sufficient prejudice where the claim was not brought for an improper purpose.
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