Opinion ID: 420942
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Abandonment of Issues?

Text: 49 In its initial third-party complaint against T & N, Nicolet advanced three alternative theories of T & N's liability: alter ego liability, successorship liability, and contribution or indemnity. Although the district court's memorandum opinion supporting the grant of summary judgment for T & N discussed only the alter ego liability issue, the order granting summary judgment purported to dispose of Nicolet's entire case against T & N. On appeal, Nicolet contends that the court erred in granting summary judgment without considering its other two theories of liability and argues that a remand is necessary for development and consideration of these theories. We cannot agree. Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(e) provides in part: 50 When a motion for summary judgment is made and supported as provided in this rule, an adverse party may not rest upon the mere allegations or denials of his pleading, but his response, by affidavits or as otherwise provided in this rule, must set forth specific facts showing that there is a genuine issue for trial. If he does not so respond, summary judgment, if appropriate, shall be entered against him. 51 Our review of the record indicates that Nicolet failed to set forth specific facts raising a genuine, triable issue on its theories of successorship liability and contribution or indemnity. Although the complaint refers to both of these grounds of recovery, Nicolet never broached them again until this appeal. Neither Nicolet's brief in opposition to T & N's motion for summary judgment nor its comments at oral argument on the summary judgment motion 6 mentioned a single fact that would trigger a genuine issue on these theories. This failure to raise potential factual issues is especially enlightening in view of T & N's head-on challenge in its motion for summary judgment; T & N not only attacked Nicolet's alternative successorship liability theory, but also raised its own independent ground for dismissal, the Pennsylvania survival of claims statute. Still Nicolet failed to present facts in support of its pleaded theories. 52 Even more significant is the character of Nicolet's motion for reconsideration of the summary judgment. By the time Nicolet filed its motion for reconsideration, the trial court had entered its memorandum opinion addressing the alter ego considerations as well as the summary judgment order dismissing Nicolet's complaint in toto. Seemingly, this was the perfect opportunity for Nicolet to urge the district court to consider its alternative theories of liability. Again, however, Nicolet was silent, making no mention of these other pleaded contentions. 53 In its brief, Nicolet offers the following account of its actions: 54 In short, by its own actions Turner & Newall deflected the district court and the parties onto single-track adjudication of the alter ego issues .... Nicolet did not contest the motion for summary judgment on the successorship and component liability ground because it reasonably believed the present concern was the alter ego doctrine alone, as it affected jurisdiction and the merits. 55 Reply Brief for Nicolet at 16-17. We have searched the record in vain for some indication that Nicolet preserved these matters by raising a genuine issue of triable fact before the district court. I forgot or I was confused is not a sufficient explanation for failure to do so. 56 In DeBardeleben v. Cummings, 453 F.2d 320 (5th Cir.1972), this court characterized as almost axiomatic the principle that any genuine material issue of fact must somehow be shown to exist in the District Court. Id. at 324. The court there stated: 57 Where the moving papers do not reveal the presence of a factual controversy on a material issue, the adversary cannot simply assent by silence to the factual theory presented in the motion--and on which the parties stand in the Trial Court--and then assert thereafter on appeal as grounds for reversal a purported factual disagreement never before revealed. 58 Id. See also Compass Insurance Co. v. Vanguard Insurance Co., 649 F.2d 331, 334 (5th Cir.1981); Franz Chemical Corp. v. Philadelphia Quartz Co., 594 F.2d 146, 150 (5th Cir.1979). 59 When T & N moved for summary judgment, Nicolet's opposition to the motion not only failed to present any data tending to establish the existence of a genuine issue of fact, but also completely failed even to refer to its alternative theories of recovery. Nicolet's silence continued through the summary judgment hearing and a motion for reconsideration; indeed, Nicolet never mentioned these theories again until this appeal. [A] plaintiff in his opposition to a motion for summary judgment cannot abandon an issue and then, after an unpalatable decision by the trial judge, on appeal, by drawing on the pleadings resurrect the abandoned issue. Edward B. Marks Music Corp. v. Continental Record Co., 222 F.2d 488, 492 (2d Cir.1955). Our review of the record convinces us that Nicolet abandoned its alternative theories of recovery by failing to present them to the trial court. Because Nicolet failed to raise a genuine issue of material fact on these theories as required by Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(e), the district court appropriately granted summary judgment for T & N on the whole case.