Opinion ID: 161830
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Denial of Leave to File Surrebuttal

Text: 35 EAI's final assignment of error flows from the district court's grant of VNA's motion to file a reply brief in support of its motion for partial summary judgment to respond to points raised in EAI's answer brief to the motion. VNA's reply brief incorporated by reference an earlier submission in the case, and it contained references to some evidence that was not specifically referenced in VNA's initial motion for partial summary judgment, although the evidence was previously before the court. Finally, VNA's reply brief contained evidence pertaining to its registration of its trademark with the U.S. Customs Service. EAI moved unsuccessfully to file a surrebuttal to respond to the new evidence not specifically discussed in VNA's initial summary judgment motion. 36 On appeal, we review the district court's decision denying EAI's request to file a surrebuttal for abuse of discretion. See Beaird v. Seagate Tech., Inc., 145 F.3d 1159, 1164-65 (10th Cir.1998). Under the abuse of discretion standard, a trial court's decision will not be disturbed unless we have a definite and firm conviction that the lower court has made a clear error of judgment or exceeded the bounds of permissible choice in the circumstances. Id. at 1164 (internal quotation and alteration omitted). 37 EAI does not allege that VNA's reply brief contained any new legal arguments in favor of summary judgment. Further, most of the alleged new factual evidence in VNA's reply brief was either not relied upon by the district court or was cumulative of other evidence that was already before the court. EAI does not show why it could not have included in its initial responsive brief any further factual evidence that would have been helpful to its position. More importantly, EAI does not even now clearly set forth what additional evidence it would have included had it been allowed to file a surrebuttal brief nor does it explain how such new evidence, if any, would have defeated VNA's motion for summary judgment. Accordingly, we find no reversible error in this regard.