Apply the relevant law to the undisputed facts. Explain why the facts and the law support granting summary judgment in your favor. Use case law – preferably recent – to bolster your argument. Cite previous cases with similar facts where summary judgment was granted.
It is much more difficult for plaintiffs to win this type of summary judgment. Rather than knocking out a single element to doom a cause of action, like a defendant, every element of each claim as to which the plaintiff wishes to achieve summary judgment must be proven by admissible evidence.
This type of motion is typically made when the outcome of the case depends on the court's interpretation of the law. Example: In a lawsuit involving a breach of contract, the defendant may file a motion for judgment on the pleadings if they believe that the plaintiff has failed to state a valid claim.
A party may file a motion for judgment on the pleadings on the basis that no answer has been filed, or that the pleadings disclose that there are no material issues of fact to be resolved and that party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.
JMOL is similar to judgment on the pleadings and summary judgment, all of which test the factual sufficiency of a claim. Judgment on the pleadings is a motion made after pleading and before discovery; summary judgment happens after discovery and before trial; JMOL occurs during trial.
(f) The motion provided for in this section may be made only after one of the following conditions has occurred: (1) If the moving party is a plaintiff, and the defendant has already filed his or her answer to the complaint and the time for the plaintiff to demur to the answer has expired.
In a motion for summary judgment, the moving party may use affidavits, relevant documents, and depositions or interrogatories to support his/her motion, but in a motion for judgment on the pleadings, he/she cannot.
A motion for judgment on the pleadings under FRCP 12(c) is designed to dispose of cases before trial where the material facts are not in dispute and a judgment on the merits can be rendered by looking to the substance of the pleadings and any judicially noticed facts.