Issue: What Type of Matters Will Preclude Summary Judgment?
| Area of Law: | Litigation & Procedure |
| Keywords: | Summary judgment; No genuine issue as to any material fact |
| Jurisdiction: | Federal |
| Cited Cases: | None |
| Cited Statutes: | Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c) |
| Date: | 07/01/2001 |
The purpose of summary judgment is to dispose of factually unsupported claims or defenses. Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 324-25 (1986). Summary judgment must be granted as a matter of law when, viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the non-moving party, the court finds no genuine issues of material fact. Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c); Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 247 (1986). Only disputes over facts that might affect the lawsuit’s outcome under the governing law will preclude summary judgment. Anderson, 477 U.S. at 248. Further, some scintilla of evidence unfavorable to the movant’s position does not require trial of the case; the threshold inquiry for the trial court is whether a genuine controversy exists, based on evidence contrary to the movant’s position and substantial enough that a finder of fact might reasonably reach a verdict in the favor of the non-movant. Id. at 252.
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