Opinion ID: 764884
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Denial of Oral Argument on Summary Judgment Motion

Text: 29 As a threshold matter, AD/SAT argues that it was reversible error for the District Court to grant summary judgment in favor of the defendants without permitting oral argument. We have held that a district court's decision whether to permit oral argument rests within its discretion. See Katz v. Morgenthau, 892 F.2d 20, 22 (2d Cir. 1989). Although AD/SAT argues that oral argument should have been permitted given the complexity of the issues, it presents no basis for concluding that resolving the summary judgment motion solely on the basis of the extensive record and the elaborate motion papers exceeded the District Court's discretion. 30 In support of its argument, AD/SAT relies on the decision of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Dredge Corp. v. Penny, 338 F.2d 456, 461-2 (9th Cir. 1964), which held that a court may not deny a request for oral argument on a motion for summary judgment unless the court intends to rule in favor of the party requesting argument. This Court, however, has never adopted such a rule. Moreover, even the Ninth Circuit requires that a party seeking to reverse a summary judgment order must demonstrate that it was prejudiced by the court's refusal to hear argument. See Partridge v. Reich, 141 F.3d 920, 926 (9th Cir. 1998). AD/SAT has made no showing of prejudice.