Opinion ID: 504384
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Compliance With Fed.R.Civ.P. 50(b)

Text: 20 Rule 50(b) provides [w]henever a motion for a directed verdict made at the close of all the evidence is denied or for any reason is not granted, the court is deemed to have submitted the action to the jury subject to a later determination of the legal questions raised by the motion. A motion for judgment n.o.v. after the jury's verdict generally may be made under this Rule only when a motion for a directed verdict has been made at the close of all the evidence and before the case is sent to the jury. See Fed.R.Civ.P. 50(b) advisory committee's note. One of the main reasons for the rule, of course, is to give the nonmoving party notice of defects in its proof so that it can cure the deficiencies before the case is submitted. 21 It is undisputed on this record that defendants made an appropriate motion for a directed verdict of dismissal at the close of the plaintiff's evidence on the same grounds as those later asserted in their judgment n.o.v. motion, including the tortious interference ground. After plaintiff rested and defendants made the motion to dismiss, the trial judge reserved decision. Later, it ruled on the motion at the close of all the evidence, specifically denying the motion with regard to the tortious interference claim. When defendants made the judgment n.o.v. motion the experienced district judge stated to defendants' counsel that he thought they had preserved [their] right to make the postjudgment motion, despite their failure to renew their motion for a directed verdict at the close of all the evidence. 22 Professor Moore's treatise observes that a postjudgment motion as a general rule may be made even when the moving party has failed to renew a directed verdict motion at the close of all the evidence provided two criteria are met: the trial court indicates it is not necessary to move in order to preserve the right, and the nonmoving party's evidence following the unrenewed motion was brief and inconsequential. See 5A J. Moore & J. Lucas, Moore's Federal Practice p 50.08 (2d ed. 1987). In Ebker v. Tan Jay Int'l, Ltd., 739 F.2d 812 (2d Cir.1984), we adopted Professor Moore's first criterion, but reformulated his second one. Instead of evaluating whether evidence subsequent to the unrenewed motion was brief and inconsequential, the trial court should determine whether the nonmoving party could reasonably believe it was safe to rest on its oars. Or, as we put it in Ebker, whether the party having notice of a motion directed against the sufficiency of its proof could reasonably believe in light of the proof following the unrenewed motion that it need do nothing further to be free from the risk of judgment n.o.v. Id. at 823-24; see Best Brands Beverage, Inc. v. Falstaff Brewing Corp., 842 F.2d 578, 587 n. 3 (2d Cir.1987). Although in Ebker the nonmoving party did not object to the district court's entertaining the postverdict motion, while here counsel for American Protein vigorously disputed the propriety of the trial court's entertaining defendants' postverdict judgment n.o.v. motion, we believe Ebker's approach appropriate. Since the grounds of the motion were the same as those spelled out in the unrenewed motion for a directed verdict, plaintiff is not prejudiced here by defendants' failure to renew at the close of all the evidence. Ebker, 739 F.2d at 824. 23 Drawing from the trial court's comments, it is plain that the first criterion was met. The Ebker approach is particularly appropriate here since the motion for a directed verdict at the end of the plaintiff's case was not denied until the end of all the evidence. It would be a pointless formality to require a defendant at that point to renew the motion. We think the second criteria as amended by Ebker has also been satisfied. American Protein had notice after it rested that defendants believed its proof on the tortious interference count deficient. Detailed arguments on appellants' motion at the close of plaintiff's case were entertained and decision was reserved by the trial court. Defendants' evidence in no way strengthened plaintiff's case. More importantly, American Protein claimed neither that it would have nor that it could have presented any additional evidence to compensate for deficiencies in its proof. As a consequence, defendants' right to make a postjudgment motion was preserved. 24