![]() At that point, the employee can request a hearing before an administrative judge. When an employee first files a complaint, that complaint is investigated and a report of investigation is issued. Let’s go through it a bit to show you how we get to summary judgment in the first place. The above description takes summary judgment process out of the EEO complaint context. Summary Judgment comes at the end of the EEO Hearing Process Because it ends the litigation and forecloses any hearing, obviously cost-conscious parties focus their efforts on knocking cases out through summary judgment. Once summary judgment has been decided, or “entered” into the docket, then the only option is to appeal. In the federal EEO context, if there is no hearing required, then the administrative judge will end the case. It is centrally important to how the EEO process functions. For federal employees who are pursuing their EEO claims, this can be confusing. It is where one side presents all of the facts that it can to convince the judge that no hearing or trial is required, while the other side says a hearing is required. Seek competent counsel for advice on any legal matter.A motion for summary judgment, or a “motion for decision without a hearing,” and responding to one, is probably the most important event in any litigation. In that case, the court can order that judgment be entered on the question of liability and that the case will go to trial only to determine damages.Ĭopyright © 2008 FindLaw, a Thomson Reuters businessĭISCLAIMER: This site and any information contained herein are intended for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. However, the parties have completely different ideas over how much money the plaintiff should receive as damages. For example, suppose you have a case in which liability is clear, such as when the defendant ran a red light and broad-sided the plaintiff proceeding on green, there is no reason ask a jury to decide if the defendant should be required to pay damages. Do not ignore calls from your lawyer when the motion is pending!Ī party may also seek partial summary judgment, which is a request for a ruling on just a portion of the claim. ![]() The most likely way you will be asked to help is to provide an affidavit setting forth facts that rebut the facts the moving party has relied on. If you are defending against the motion, hoping to go to trial or to settle the case, you will want to provide your lawyer with whatever assistance he or she needs in pulling the facts together. If the court has concerns about the credibility of witnesses or which side to believe, the case should be resolved in a trial. It cannot decide which side is more credible than the other. When it decides a motion for summary judgment, the court may only consider facts in the pretrial record, such as deposition testimony, affidavits (sworn statements of fact) answers to written discovery requests, documents, and the like. It also allows the court to simplify and streamline the case so that trial is more efficient and focused on the areas of actual dispute. While a summary judgment motion is not a substitute for trial, it is a tool that allows courts to weed out cases that do not need a trial to be resolved. ![]() If the court agrees with the party opposing the motion and finds that the key facts are in dispute, the court cannot enter judgment and must instead send the case to trial. To avoid a summary judgment, the other party must provide the court with evidence that would be permitted at trial that indicates that the key facts are disputable. Summary judgment is described as “a blunt instrument” that can abruptly terminate the litigation. The motion asks the court to consider the undisputed facts and apply the law to them, and argues that the law requires a judgment for the party bringing the motion. Instead the party who believes that the undisputed facts compel a ruling in his or her favor will file a motion for summary judgment. If the facts are not in dispute, there is no need for a trial. ![]() The purpose of a trial is to have somebody - the judge or the jury - decide what the facts are. This is known as a summary judgment, in that it summarily ends the case before trial. In some cases, the key facts are not disputed and require that judgment be entered for one of the parties. ![]()
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