Opinion ID: 781837
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Statements in the Repudiation Letter

Text: 35 The summary judgment ruling regarding the Repudiation Letter requires little discussion. The district court held that the statements in the Repudiation Letter about the catalogue for the exhibition of the Paintings at the Joliette Museum in Canada were not actionable because the statements were not factual assertions about another's goods. A statement of opinion is not actionable under the Lanham Act if it could not reasonably be seen as stating or implying provable facts about a competitor's goods or services. Groden, 61 F.3d at 1051. 36 The Boulés argue that the statements in the Repudiation Letter would have been understood by the reader as factual assertions about the authenticity of the Boulé's collection displayed at the Canadian exhibition because of Hutton's reputation as a leading American expert on Suprematist art and the Khidekels' status as Lazar's relatives. While the Boulés did raise issues of material fact as to whether these statements would have been appreciated as representations of fact, we decline to remand, as the claim must still be decided for the defendants as a matter of law. Because we affirm the district court's finding that the evidence on authenticity was in equipoise, the plaintiffs are unable to establish that the statements in the Repudiation Letter are false and their Lanham Act claim with respect to the Repudiation Letter necessarily fails. We may affirm a judgment on any ground appearing in the record, even one on which the district court has not relied. See ACEquip Ltd. v. Am. Eng'g Corp., 315 F.3d 151, 155 (2d Cir.2003).