Opinion ID: 666055
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: the relief due latecoere

Text: 147 Latecoere is clearly due a reversal of the judgment entered against it. In addition to a reversal, Latecoere has asked this court to direct the district court to enjoin ETC's performance of the contract. However, because Latecoere never moved for summary judgment in the district court, the question of whether Latecoere is entitled to summary judgment is not properly before us. 148 The Second Circuit has permitted itself to direct the entry of summary judgment for a party appealing the district court's entry of summary judgment against it, Air Line Pilots Ass'n v. TWA, 713 F.2d 940, 955 (2d Cir.1983), aff'd in part and rev'd in part, 469 U.S. 111, 105 S.Ct. 613, 83 L.Ed.2d 523 (1985), even when the appellant did not move for summary judgment in the district court, First Nat'l Bank v. Maryland Casualty Co., 290 F.2d 246, 251-52 (2d Cir.), cert. denied, 368 U.S. 939, 82 S.Ct. 381, 7 L.Ed.2d 338 (1961). However, we have been unable to find a case in which this Circuit has done so. Cf. Easterwood v. CSX Transp., Inc., 933 F.2d 1548, 1556 (11th Cir.1991) (reversing a summary judgment in part, because a district court may grant summary judgment on an issue only if a party moves for summary judgment on that issue), aff'd, --- U.S. ----, 113 S.Ct. 1732, 123 L.Ed.2d 387 (1993). But see Jonathan's Landing, Inc. v. Townsend, 960 F.2d 1538, 1545 (11th Cir.1992) (On reversal of the grant of summary judgment, the court also may order summary judgment for the appellant, particularly when, as here, a cross-motion for summary judgment was made before the district court. (dictum)). There is a real danger that when an appellate court directs a summary judgment for a party on appeal the other party will be deprived of notice and an opportunity to respond not only with arguments but also with evidence. While there usually should be substantial overlap between the evidence a party puts forward in support of its own summary judgment motion and that which it would put forward in opposition to the other party's cross-motion, we are not prepared to say that that evidence will always be identical. A party might struggle harder to avoid losing a summary judgment motion against it, which would cost it the case, than the same party would try to avoid losing its own motion, because the loss would mean only that the case went to trial. A party is entitled to notice when the record is being built that it might lose the case on that record, see Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c), and entitlement to such notice is difficult to square with permitting an appellate court to direct entry of summary judgment against a party when such action was never requested. 149 Under the circumstances of this case, we leave it to the district court, in the first instance, to decide whether Latecoere is entitled to summary judgment when the inevitable motion is filed. By leaving the issue to be dealt with on remand, we ensure that the defendants will be provided with the notice and opportunity to respond required by Rule 56(c). 150 If the district court enters judgment for Latecoere, either summary or otherwise, it will be up to that court to fashion appropriate relief. 151 Because of the importance of the training facility involved and the possible impact that decisions concerning it could have on the safety of some of the men and women who serve in this country's armed forces, we trust that the district court will expedite its decision on remand.