Opinion ID: 1917118
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: Consideration of Damages Evidence at Causation Stage

Text: At one point in her brief, Case argues that the district court's causation analysis was flawed because the court failed to distinguish [(1)] the causal connection between [Case's] conduct and the alleged violation of [Amanda's] civil rights from [(2)] the causal connection between the violation of [Amanda's] civil rights and the alleged injury to [Amandal. [24] Case believes that the first inquirywhether Case's conduct violated Amanda's civil rightsis a question of liability and was therefore properly considered by the court at the summary judgment stage. But Case believes that the second questionwhether the alleged violation of Amanda's civil rights caused any actual harmis more a question of damages. Thus, Case believes that the district court erroneously merged these two issues when, in the course of ruling on Case's liability, it considered Scharf's testimony regarding actual harm to Amanda. There is no limit, however, to the issues that a party can focus on in his or her own motion for summary judgment. Amanda moved for summary judgment on the issue of liability and was free to define the scope of that motion. To Amanda, liability appears to have meant not only that Case's conduct violated her constitutional rights, but also that the violation of those rights caused actual harm to her. On the former issue, Amanda offered evidence of the prior judgment in C199-82 and argued that the judgment had preclusive effect. Regarding the latter issue, Amanda offered Scharf's deposition testimony and a sworn affidavit. By arguing that the district court improperly considered Scharf's testimony at the summary judgment stage, Case attempts to supplant her own characterization of what Amanda actually sought with her motion for summary judgment. That is, Case attempts to characterize Amanda's motion as a motion for summary judgment only on the issue of whether Case violated Amanda's constitutional rights. But if Amanda sought summary judgment on that issue alone, there was no reason to submit Scharf's testimony and affidavit in support of her motion. As was shown above, that evidence does nothing more than establish the existence of actual harm and provide a causal link between that harm and the violation of Amanda's rights. As such, the inclusion of that evidence should have sent a clear sign to Case that if the court granted Amanda's motion in full, the only issue left to resolve regarding damages would be the extent, not the existence, of those damages. Case had the opportunity, therefore, to present evidence that would negate the existence of Amanda's damages. For whatever reason, Case did not make the most of that opportunity. But Case's omission does not mean the district court erred in its causation analysis.