Opinion ID: 2052356
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: standard of review

Text: As indicated, the matter now before us was resolved in the Circuit Court on summary judgment. Whether summary judgment was granted properly is a question of law. The standard of review is de novo and we are concerned with whether the trial court was legally correct. Goodwich v. Sinai Hosp. of Baltimore, Inc., 343 Md. 185, 204, 680 A.2d 1067, 1076 (1996); see also Livesay v. Baltimore County, 384 Md. 1, 9, 862 A.2d 33, 38 (2004); Walk v. Hartford Casualty, 382 Md. 1, 14, 852 A.2d 98, 105 (2004); Murphy v. Merzbacher, 346 Md. 525, 530-31, 697 A.2d 861, 864 (1997). The trial court, in accordance with Maryland Rule 2-501(e), shall grant a motion for summary judgment if the motion and response show that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and that [the moving party] is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. The purpose of the summary judgment procedure is not to try the case or to decide the factual disputes, but to decide whether there is an issue of fact which is sufficiently material to be tried. See Goodwich, 343 Md. at 205-06, 680 A.2d at 1077; Coffey v. Derby Steel Co., 291 Md. 241, 247, 434 A.2d 564, 567-68 (1981); Berkey v. Delia, 287 Md. 302, 304, 413 A.2d 170, 171 (1980). Thus, once the moving party has provided the court with sufficient grounds for summary judgment, the non-moving party must produce sufficient evidence to the trial court that a genuine dispute to a material fact exists. See, e.g., Hoffman Chevrolet, Inc. v. Washington County Nat'l Sav. Bank, 297 Md. 691, 712, 467 A.2d 758, 769 (1983). This requires produc[ing] facts under oath, based on the personal knowledge of the affiant to defeat the motion. Bald, unsupported statements or conclusions of law are insufficient. Id. (alteration added). With these considerations in mind, we turn to the case sub judice.