To request summary judgment, a party must file a motion in writing. The party filing the motion is known as the “moving party.” The party responding to the other party's motion is known as the “non-moving party.” For information on motions generally, please refer to A Guide to Motions for Unrepresented Complainants.
The odds of winning a summary judgment, known as the grant rate, vary widely by case type. The most common grant of summary judgment is in Title VII and employment cases. These are granted in whole in 49.2% of cases, in part in 23.3% of cases, and denied in 27.5% of cases.
Therefore, to win on summary judgment you have to convince a judge that it is a good use of his or her very limited time and resources to write the decision. This means that your written material has to demonstrate that the law and facts support summary judgment, and contain no misstatements of law or fact.
Rule 3212. Motion for summary judgment. (a) Time; kind of action. Any party may move for summary judgment in any action, after issue has been joined; provided however, that the court may set a date after which no such motion may be made, such date being no earlier than thirty days after the filing of the note of issue.
Summary judgment and the striking out of pleadings under legislation or rules of court, are two significant procedural options for a party to terminate proceedings before trial. This will normally be invoked where the case disclosed by an opponent is unsatisfactory, either in form or substance.
What You Need in Your Motion for Summary Judgement Title and Introduction. Clearly state the document's purpose and include the case caption. Statement of Facts. Provide a clear, detailed statement of the undisputed facts. Standard of Review. Explain the legal standard for granting summary judgment. Argument. Conclusion.
Although the law is clear that only admissible evidence may be considered on summary judgment, that does not mean that the material must be presented in a form that would be admissible at trial. Affidavits and declarations are the classic examples.
The court reaches a final decision based on statements, evidence, and other important facts in the case. Under Rule 56 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the summary judgment standard is only granted if: The movant shows the court that there is no genuine dispute as to any facts of the case.
Consider the following five approaches: Show that the motion fails to list the specific facts and law supporting summary judgment. Show that a dispute exists on a material fact. Show that the law does not support judgment on the undisputed facts.