Opinion ID: 767510
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Left Pump Failure

Text: 51 The plaintiff claims that the failure of the left pump nine days after the failure of the right pump supports an inference that the right pump must have been negligently installed. This contradicts the plaintiff's own theory that the failure of one pump puts such an increased load on the other pump that premature failure of the other pump is expected and not uncommon. If we assume the plaintiff's own theory, however, then when the right pump failed in 1990, the left pump was immediately stressed; thus, even before Avitech replaced the right pump, the left pump would have sustained injury that brings risk of premature failure. Moreover, it is undisputed that the left pump failure occurred at the normal life expectancy of the left pump. Specifically, the left pump failed at 700 hours, while its warranty was for only 400 hours. Avitech's undisputed expert testimony stated that the left pump's life span was about what could be expected. The plaintiff still insists, however, that the failure of the left pump is evidence that Avitech negligently installed the right pump. 52 While the proximity in time of the 1990 pump failures might generate some speculation that a problem existed with the installation of the right pump by Avitech, the plaintiff's expert gives no analysis of the other potential causes of the left pump's failure, such as earlier failure of the right pump or the age of the left pump. In fact, it is conceivable that a problem with the left pump led to the premature failure of the right pump before the left pump initially failed. As with the case of the pump debris, the plaintiff's experts do not discuss let alone exclude the alternative causes of the left pump's failure. Thus, the expert theories on this point are simply insufficient for a reasonable juror to find by a preponderance of the evidence that Avitech committed negligence. See Richoux v. Armstrong Cork Corp., 777 F.2d 296, 297 (5th Cir. 1985) (The inferences drawn from the record, however, must be rational and reasonable, not idle, speculative, or conjectural.). 53 Because none of the plaintiff's inferences of Avitech's negligence are sufficient to support finding of negligence, they do not suffice to create a genuine issue of material fact that would preclude summary judgment. See, e.g., Krim v. BancTexasGroup, Inc., 989 F.2d 1435, 1449 (5th Cir. 1993) (summary judgment is appropriate if nonmoving party rests merely upon conclusory allegations, improbable inferences, and unsupported speculation); see also Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 509 U.S. 579, 596 (1993) (if the trial court concludes that the scintilla of evidence presented supporting a position is insufficient to allow a reasonable juror to conclude that the position more likely than not is true, the court remains free . . .to grant summary judgment). For these reasons, we AFFIRM the grant of summary judgment. 54 AFFIRMED.