Opinion ID: 888661
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Whether the District Court abused its discretion by denying additional time for discovery before ruling on the motions for summary judgment?

Text: ¶ 33 Richards argues that the District Court abused its discretion in denying additional time for discovery. We review for abuse of discretion a district court's ruling on a motion for additional discovery pursuant to M.R. Civ. P. 56(f). Stanley v. Holms, 1999 MT 41, ¶ 19, 293 Mont. 343, 975 P.2d 1242, 293 Mont. 343, 975 P.2d 1242. A district court does not abuse its discretion in denying a Rule 56(f) motion where the party opposing the motion for summary judgment fails to establish how the proposed discovery could preclude summary judgment. Stanley, ¶ 19. ¶ 34 The party opposing the summary judgment motion in Stanley claimed that it needed more time to obtain a letter and take depositions, but the party failed to establish how this proposed discovery would establish new facts that would preclude summary judgment. Stanley, ¶ 20. Richards claims only that he needed more time to discover the author and intended recipient of the FWP memorandum regarding his wildlife fencing strategy. Richards fails to establish, however, how this proposed discovery could preclude summary judgment. ¶ 35 Richards first served discovery requests on the County and FWP in January 2008. FWP provided the memorandum in the thousands of pages of discovery that it delivered to Richards on February 25, 2008. Richards first requested more time for discovery in late June 2008, when he opposed FWP's motion for summary judgment. At no point during the period between January and June of 2008, however, did Richards ever request additional discovery from FWP regarding the memorandum. Richards also failed to set forth how this additional discovery would preclude summary judgment even after the County and FWP had moved for summary judgment. ¶ 36 The Board heard testimony from FWP employees regarding FWP's consideration of the fence and from Richards's own experts. To have allowed Richards more discovery to identify the source of the FWP memorandum and the author's reasoning would not have established any new facts. The Board had before it at the public hearing all the issues and opinions regarding the fencing strategy when it made its decision. A vast majority of the evidence presented to the Board by FWP opposed Richards's fencing strategy. ¶ 37 The Board adequately weighed all the evidence presented, including conflicting evidence, in reaching its decision. Christianson, 242 Mont. at 214-15, 789 P.2d at 1235-36; Madison River R.V., ¶¶ 30-39. The District Court, sitting on judicial review of the Board's decision, properly reviewed the record and concluded that the new discovery proposed by Richards could not defeat summary judgment.