Opinion ID: 1892838
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Doyle's Opposing Statement of Material Facts

Text: [¶ 10] Doyle challenges the Superior Court's determination that she failed to properly dispute numerous facts set forth in DHS's statement of material facts. Contrary to her contention, however, Doyle did fail to comply with the requirements of Rule 56(h)(2) in several important respects. First, and most crucial, Doyle did not properly support many of her denials and qualifications with record citations relevant to the proposition for which they were cited. [3] A party's statement of material facts opposing the other party's statement must explicitly admit, deny, or qualify facts by reference to each numbered paragraph, and a denial or qualification must be supported by a record citation. Levine v. R.B.K. Caly Corp., 2001 ME 77, ¶ 6 n. 5, 770 A.2d 653, 655; M.R. Civ. P. 56(h)(2). Because Doyle failed to properly controvert many of the facts set forth by DHS, we treat those facts as admitted. M.R. Civ. P. 56(h)(4). [¶ 11] Second, in her statement of disputed material facts, Doyle improperly commingled additional facts in paragraphs that should have been limited to controverting DHS's asserted facts, and failed to include her additional facts in a separate section with numbered paragraphs supported by record citations. [4] A nonmoving party may choose to include in her opposing statement of material facts a separate section of additional facts; these facts are to be organized in separate numbered paragraphs and supported by record citations. M.R. Civ. P. 56(h)(2). In response, the moving party can prepare a reply statement of material facts in which the moving party admits, denies, or qualifies the additional facts, providing record citation support for each denial or qualification. M.R. Civ. P. 56(h)(3). A court need not consider additional facts when, as here, they are improperly commingled in the nonmoving party's paragraphs responding to the moving party's material facts, see Burbank v. Davis, 227 F.Supp.2d 176, 179 (D.Me.2002), and are not set forth in a separate section of additional facts organized in separate numbered paragraphs added pursuant to Rule 56(h)(2). [¶ 12] Third, Doyle relied upon citations to affidavits containing inadmissible hearsay and statements for which the affiants had no personal knowledge. [5] Each party's statement of material facts must contain specific record references which refer to evidence of a quality that could be admissible at trial. Levine, 2001 ME 77, ¶ 6, 770 A.2d at 656. [¶ 13] Because Doyle failed to follow the protocol set forth in Rule 56, many of DHS's material facts are not controverted and thus are properly deemed admitted. In addition, because Doyle failed to include a separate section of additional facts, the trial court, and now we, need not consider the additional facts that were interwoven in Doyle's response to DHS's statement of material facts. The Superior Court did not err in its application of the requirements of Rule 56.