The Circuit Court of Appeals, Second Circuit, held a federal district court improperly granted summary judgment in the instant matter for two reasons, "one of which is a logical consequence of disposing of the matter based on pre-motion letters".
First, Circuit Court said the district court improperly granted summary judgment by resolving disputed facts that related to the Petitioners claims discrimination because of his alleged disability.
The Second Circuit explained: "It is well established
that a district court may grant summary judgment only where '... movant shows
that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is
entitled to judgment as a matter of law. [See] Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a).' A district
court may not make credibility determinations, or weigh evidence in evaluating
a motion for summary judgment. See
Second, the Second Circuit said it had concluded that the district court further erred by not ensuring that the evidentiary material cited in the parties’ Rule 56.1 statements support their assertions.
In the words of the Second Circuit: "As this Court has
explained, a district court 'may not rely solely on the statement of undisputed
facts contained in the moving party’s Rule 56.1 statement.' Vt. Teddy Bear Co.
v. BEARGRAM
The Circuit Court vacated the district court’s judgment granting summary judgment in favor of the Respondent and remanded the matter to the district court for further proceedings.
Click HERE to access the Second Circuit's decision posted on the Internet.