Opinion ID: 755346
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Improper Use of Evidence

Text: 65 With their summary judgment motion, the Plaintiffs filed three expert affidavits which addressed the environmental impacts of the Friant dam. The Non-federal Defendants filed a motion to strike these affidavits which the court denied. The Non-federal Defendants claim that these affidavits addressed disputed factual issues, and that they were not permitted to cross-examine the experts or conduct discovery to respond to the assertions in the affidavits. In the Order of May 31, 1995, the district court appears to rely on these affidavits, in part, and stated that the Plaintiffs' extensive scientific ecological evidence documents indicated that the total diversion of the river caused environmental harm. The Non-federal Defendants contend that the district court abused its discretion in denying further discovery in violation of Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(f). The Non-federal Defendants also claim that the affidavits were irrelevant to the legal questions at hand. 66 We review the district court's discovery rulings for an abuse of discretion. Amarel v. Connell, 102 F.3d 1494, 1515 (9th Cir.1996). The district court may continue a motion for summary judgment if the opposing party needs time to conduct further discovery. See Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(f); Garrett v. City and County of San Francisco, 818 F.2d 1515, 1518 (9th Cir.1987). A refusal to permit further discovery pursuant to Rule 56(f) is reviewed for an abuse of discretion. Nidds v. Schindler Elevator Corp., 113 F.3d 912, 920 (9th Cir.1996), cert. denied --- U.S. ----, 118 S.Ct. 369, 139 L.Ed.2d 287 (1997). We will only find that the district court abused its discretion if the movant diligently pursued its previous discovery opportunities, and if the movant can show how allowing additional discovery would have precluded summary judgment. Qualls v. Blue Cross of Cal., Inc., 22 F.3d 839, 844 (9th Cir.1994). 67 The Non-federal Defendants' Rule 56(f) argument is without merit. The Non-federal Defendants never formally filed a Rule 56(f) motion requesting a continuance of the summary judgment hearing to conduct further discovery. They contend that their motion to strike should have served as a Rule 56(f) motion. But that motion, which was not made until six months after the summary judgment decision was issued, was clearly untimely for Rule 56(f) purposes. Regardless of whether the Non-federal Defendants raised a timely 56(f) motion or diligently pursued discovery, the Non-federal Defendants have not pointed to any evidence that they could have discovered that would have precluded summary judgment. See Garrett, 818 F.2d at 1518. 68 On the relevancy issue, the Plaintiffs assert that the expert affidavits were relevant to the legal issue of whether the water contracts were an irreversible and irretrievable commitment of resources. The district court did rely on the declarations regarding environmental harm to conclude that there was an irreversible and irretrievable commitment of resources. However, it appears that the court could have reached the same legal conclusion without any concrete evidence of ecological harm. See Pacific Rivers, 30 F.3d at 1057 (timber sales constitute per se irreversible and irretrievable commitment of resources). Therefore, if there were any error it was harmless.