Opinion ID: 211823
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Jurisdiction of Solo Cup's Appeal

Text: 16 Fort James reasserts its claim previously resolved by the order of a single judge of this court, namely that Solo Cup's notice of appeal was not timely filed. As an initial matter, we note that Fort James should properly have renewed its jurisdictional challenge by filing a motion to reconsider the single judge's order within fourteen days of its issuance as required by Federal Circuit Rule 27( l ). Fort James's failure to comply with Rule 27( l ) is not fatal, however, because this court has held that the merits panel is not bound by the action of a single judge. TypeRight Keyboard Corp. v. Microsoft Corp., 374 F.3d 1151, 1157 n. 5 (Fed.Cir.2004); Fieldturf, Inc. v. Southwest Recreational Indus., Inc., 357 F.3d 1266, 1268 (Fed.Cir. 2004); Nilssen v. Motorola, Inc., 203 F.3d 782, 785 n. 2 (Fed.Cir.2000). Although the appellee in Nilssen filed a motion for reconsideration, 203 F.3d at 783, there is no indication that the appellees in either TypeRight or Fieldturf complied with the procedural requirement of Rule 27( l ). Accordingly, TypeRight and Fieldturf support Fort James's assertion that it is entitled to have its jurisdictional claim heard by the merits panel notwithstanding its failure to comply with Rule 27( l ). Without acknowledging the existence of Rule 27( l ), Fieldturf states that because a motion to dismiss denied by a single judge does not become law of the case, the panel is therefore free, indeed obligated to determine whether jurisdiction is appropriate, 357 F.3d at 1268. In contrast, no precedential opinion has strictly adhered to the provisions of Rule 27( l ) to resolve an appellee's challenge to this court's jurisdiction. Given the precedent of TypeRight and Fieldturf and the court's responsibility to police the exercise of its jurisdiction, we conclude that it is best to reach the merits of Fort James's jurisdictional argument despite its limited procedural deficiencies. 17 Fort James argues that its motion to dismiss was improperly denied because Solo Cup's purported Rule 50(b) motion was legally inadequate to toll the appeal deadline. Fort James claims that the Motion to Withdraw, whereby Solo Cup renewed its request for a JMOL on invalidity, failed to comply with the particularity requirement of FRCP 7. 18 Because the sufficiency of post-judgment motions is a procedural matter not unique to patent law, the law of the Seventh Circuit sets the standard by which we judge the adequacy of Solo Cup's Motion to Withdraw. Registration Control Sys., Inc. v. Compusystems, Inc., 922 F.2d 805, 807 (Fed.Cir.1990). FRCP 7(b)(1) requires that motions shall state with particularity the grounds therefor. The Seventh Circuit has determined that the rule's standard for particularity means reasonable specification. Martinez v. Trainor, 556 F.2d 818, 819-20 (7th Cir.1977). In the process of applying Seventh Circuit law, this court has previously indicated that the particularity requirement should be applied flexibly in recognition of the peculiar circumstances of the case. Registration Control, 922 F.2d at 808. The key issue to be resolved is whether the document filed affords notice of the grounds and prayer of the motion to both the court and to the opposing party, providing that party with a meaningful opportunity to respond and the court with enough information to process the motion correctly. Id. at 807. 19 Here, there is no question that Solo Cup's Motion to Withdraw — by itself — did not explain the grounds for its renewed motion for JMOL. Instead, Solo Cup specifically referenced its pending Motion for Judgment As a Matter of Law That Claim 1 of U.S. Patent No. 4,609,140 is Invalid Under 35 U.S.C. § 102(b) and requested consideration of the foregoing pending motion (Court's Docket No. 374). The motion that Solo Cup cited by name and docket number included five pages of factual and legal arguments in support of Solo Cup's claim for JMOL. When the Motion to Withdraw is read in conjunction with the document specifically referenced therein, there is no question regarding the grounds for the relief demanded. In such circumstances, it is appropriate to consider previously filed documents outside the four corners of the motion in determining whether the particularity requirement of FRCP 7 has been satisfied. Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians v. Wis., 957 F.2d 515, 516-17 (7th Cir.1992) (holding that a brief filed contemporaneously with a motion fulfills the requirement of FRCP 7(b)(1)); Andreas v. Volkswagen of Am., Inc., 336 F.3d 789, 794 (8th Cir.2003) (approving a district court's reference to a FRCP 50(a) pleading in determining the sufficiency of a FRCP 50(b) motion); Cambridge Plating Co., Inc. v. Napco, Inc., 85 F.3d 752, 761 (1st Cir.1996) (rejecting as overly technical the district court's premise that the sufficiency of a post-judgment motion should be determined by reference only to the four corners of the motion). When put in context of this particular case, the Motion to Withdraw sufficiently alerted Fort James and the court to the issues Solo Cup was raising. The Motion to Withdraw satisfied the particularity requirement of FRCP 7(b)(1) and constituted a valid Rule 50(b) motion such that Solo Cup's time to appeal did not start running until the motion was finally resolved by the district court. Solo Cup's Notice of Appeal was timely filed and this court has jurisdiction to hear its appeal pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1295(a). 20