Opinion ID: 596204
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Summary Judgment on the Claims of Surviving Parents.

Text: 58 Plaintiffs' final argument concerns the claims of the parents of three of the victims of the mine explosion. The parents presented affidavits and deposition testimony indicating that they had incurred economic loss from the death of their sons. It was undisputed that the parents had already received $40,475 in settlement from other defendants and that the United States was entitled to set off this amount against any damages shown by the parents. In ruling on the United States motion for summary judgment on these claims, the district court stated: 59 Counsel for Plaintiffs, to their credit, candidly admit that they do not have any evidence to indicate that the claims of these particular Plaintiffs exceed the amount Defendant is already entitled to set off--that is, $40,475.00. There being no genuine issue as to any material fact regarding the claims of [plaintiffs], summary judgment on those claims should be GRANTED. 60 Aplt.App. Vol. I at 92. The court's memorandum and order indicates that this conclusion was reached after a hearing on the motion for summary judgment. In their brief, plaintiffs now argue that they did not concede the issue of damages. They assert that either counsel misunderstood the court's question or the court misunderstood counsel's answer. Aplt.Br. at 49. This is apparently a reference to a discussion that took place during the summary judgment hearing. The plaintiffs have not submitted a transcript of that hearing, however, as part of the record on appeal. In the absence of a record of the proceedings below, we cannot say that the district court's determination that plaintiffs' counsel conceded the issue of damages was erroneous. See McGinnis v. Gustafson, 978 F.2d 1199 (10th Cir.1992) (Failure to file a required transcript raises an effective barrier to informed appellate review; it leaves this court with no alternative but to affirm the affected ruling). See also S.E.C. v. Thomas, 965 F.2d 825, 827 (10th Cir.1992). Accordingly, we affirm the district court's grant of summary judgment in favor of the United States on the claims of Gavin and Sharyn Litwiller, Vernon F. Lincoln, and Hugh W. and Alice B. Pierce. 61 Conclusion. 62 No. 91-1390: Because we have determined that the initial notice of appeal filed by plaintiffs was sufficient to confer jurisdiction to hear all of plaintiffs' appeals, we DISMISS Appeal No. 91-1390. 63 No. 91-1340: The judgment is REVERSED insofar as the district court ruled that count one of the complaint (the technical assistance claim) was barred by the discretionary function exception. The judgment is AFFIRMED in all other respects. The case is REMANDED for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.