Opinion ID: 2363126
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Pending Motions for Summary Judgment

Text: The fourth factor counsels a trial judge to consider the current pleading status of the litigation, i.e., whether there were any motions for summary judgment pending at the time the motion for dismissal without prejudice is filed. This factor is premised, at least in part, on the principle that a plaintiff confronting the potential for an adverse disposition of his, her, or its case may not dismiss unilaterally the case in order to file again in the future at a time when the conditions may be more favorable. See, e.g., Phillips U.S.A., Inc., 77 F.3d at 358 ([A] party should not be permitted to avoid an adverse decision on a dispositive motion by dismissing a claim without prejudice.); Grover, 33 F.3d at 719 (At the point when the law clearly dictates a result for the defendant, it is unfair to subject him to continued exposure to potential liability by dismissing the case without prejudice.); Pace, 409 F.2d at 334 (affirming the denial of a motion to dismiss without prejudice on the ground that the plaintiffs were using the motion as a tactic to prevent summary judgment in favor of the defendants); see also MARYLAND RULES COMMENTARY 351 (explaining that the purpose of the present Maryland Rule 2-506 was to avoid a plaintiff's abuse of the right to unilateral voluntary dismissal at any time before the trial itself commenced). [17] Judge Berger noted that [i]ndeed, a motion for summary judgment filed by [Petitioners] on the same day that the motion for dismissal of all claims without prejudice was filed by the [Respondents]. There has, as well, been a previous motion for summary motion [sic] filed by Eli Lilly and Company, that the Court denied, at that time, for the sole purpose of allowing additional discovery to go forward before reconsidering that issue. The Court of Special Appeals, however, held that the Respondents' motion for dismissal without prejudice was motivated solely by the withdrawal of Dr. Bradstreet, rather than an attempt to prevent an adverse disposition of the litigation by way of Petitioners' motions for summary judgment. Skevofilax, 167 Md.App. at 20, 891 A.2d at 427-28. The Court of Special Appeals reasoned that [a]lthough the trial court did not make any determination as to whether this factor favored [Respondents] or [Petitioners], the only conclusion supported by the record in this case is that this factor favors the granting of [Respondents'] motion to dismiss without prejudice. Skevofilax, 167 Md.App. at 20, 891 A.2d at 428. The intermediate appellate court misstates the Circuit Court's reasoning. Petitioners' 1 December 2004 motion for summary judgment was filed the same day as Respondents' renewed motion for voluntary dismissal. It is not clear from the record, based on the time each motion was filed, whether a reasonable inference could be drawn either that Respondents' Rule 2-506(b) motion was in response to the Vaccine Defendants' motion for summary judgment, or simply the result of Dr. Bradstreet's withdrawal. We are inclined to agree with Petitioners, however, that it was not a race to file at that point. It is clear that Respondents legally were unable to maintain successfully their claims against Petitioners in the absence of an expert opinion on specific causation, nor did they have any basis to oppose summary judgment without such an expert. Counsel for Respondents quite properly conceded as much at the 21 December 2004 hearing before the trial court. Even if the motion to dismiss without prejudice was not in direct response to the prospect of an adverse disposition of the case in favor of Petitioners, Respondents should have foreseen that, without an expert as to specific causation, Vaccine Defendants would seek summary judgment. According to Petitioners, they were ready to file their dispositive motions at the completion of Dr. Bradstreet's deposition regardless of the outcome of the awaited genomic susceptibility tests. [18] If motions for summary judgment were not pending formally at the time of Respondents' Rule 2-506(b) motion, Respondents hardly could have been uncognizant of the likelihood that renewed motions for summary judgment would be forthcoming, following Dr. Bradstreet's withdrawal, considering especially that Petitioners had filed dispositive motions at virtually each earlier critical juncture of the litigation. Of greatest significant to the Circuit Court, apparently, was Eli Lilly and Company's initial motion for summary judgment as to the fraud counts, although that motion was not renewed formally until 3 December 2004, 2 days after Respondents' renewed motion for voluntary dismissal was filed. The initial motion was denied in May 2004 expressly in order to allow the parties to conduct discovery. Considering that the time for designating experts had passed, and that the bulk of fact discovery had been conducted, it likely was apparent to Respondents that Eli Lilly's motion for summary judgment would be renewed subsequent to Dr. Bradstreet's withdrawal. A reasonable trial judge, given the status of the pending litigation at the time of the relevant hearing, could conclude that the fourth factor weighed in favor of Petitioners.