Opinion ID: 148165
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Defendant's Renewed Motion for Summary Judgment

Text: We generally review a district court's denial of a motion for relief from judgment pursuant to Rule 60(b) only for an abuse of discretion. Massi v. Walgreen Co., 337 Fed.Appx. 542, 545 (6th Cir.2009) (citing Davis v. Jellico Cmty. Hosp., Inc., 912 F.2d 129, 133 (6th Cir.1990)). When this Court reviews for abuse of discretion, it will reverse only when it is firmly convinced that a mistake has been made. Bush v. Rauch, 38 F.3d 842, 848 (6th Cir.1994) (internal citations omitted). To overcome this deferential standard of review over a motion for relief from judgment, a party must demonstrate that the district court committed a clear error of judgment, such as applying the incorrect legal standard, misapplying the correct legal standard, or relying upon clearly erroneous findings of fact. In re Ferro Corp. Derivative Litig., 511 F.3d 611, 623 (6th Cir.2008).
Because the district court entered judgment in the same decision that it construed Defendants' renewed motion for summary judgment as one for relief from judgment under Rule 60(b), it was reasonable for the district court to construe the entry of judgment as coming before the conversion of Defendants' motion. Furthermore, a district court has broad discretion to manage its docket. Reed v. Rhodes, 179 F.3d 453, 471 (6th Cir.1999). A district court's decision whether a late filing results from excusable neglect is subject to review for abuse of discretion. Allen v. Murph, 194 F.3d 722, 723-24 (6th Cir.1999). Defendants filed their renewed motion for summary judgment more than one year after the deadline for dispositive motions had passed without seeking leave to file. Defendants sought to introduce new facts the 2007 resolutions that were passed after and in response to the district court's summary judgment decisionmore than one year after the close of discovery. Accordingly, based on the district court's power to manage its own docket, the court had ample discretion to strike Defendants' late renewed motion for summary judgment. By converting Defendants' renewed summary judgment motion to a Rule 60(b) motion for relief from judgment and considering Defendants' new facts and arguments, the district court was giving Defendants the benefit of the doubt. Finally, we decline to review the district court's subsequent denial of Defendants' motion for relief from final judgment because we lack jurisdiction. Defendants filed their notice of appeal on September 2, 2008 from the district court's order of August 4, 2008, in which it converted Defendants' motion. The district court did not deny Defendants' Rule 60(b) motion until September 30, 2008. Thus, this order denying relief from judgment was not and could not have been appealed pursuant to Defendants' September 2, 2008 notice of appeal. After the district court's September 30, 2008 denial of relief from judgment, Defendants had 30 days under Fed. R.App. P. 4(a)(1)(A) to file a notice of appeal of that order. However, Defendants failed to do so. This failure deprives this Court of jurisdiction over Defendants' attempt to appeal from the September 30, 2008 order.