Opinion ID: 1602226
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Whether the circuit court erred in granting summary judgment for Kansas City Southern and Lay.

Text: ¶ 14. The circuit court's grant of a motion for summary judgment is reviewed by this Court de novo. See Wilner v. White, 929 So.2d 315, 318 (Miss.2006). Mississippi Rule of Civil Procedure 56(c) provides that summary judgment shall be rendered forthwith if the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law. Miss. R. Civ. P. 56(c). The Comment to Rule 56 adds that summary judgment is not a substitute for the trial of disputed fact issues. Accordingly, the court cannot try issues of fact on a Rule 56 motion; it may only determine whether there are issues to be tried.... [I]t cannot be used to deprive a litigant of a full trial of genuine fact issues. Miss. R. Civ. P. 56 cmt. In this Court's de novo review, [t]he evidence must be viewed in the light most favorable to the party against whom the motion has been made. Daniels v. GNB, Inc., 629 So.2d 595, 599 (Miss.1993) (citation omitted). ¶ 15. The opinions of the circuit court and Court of Appeals regarding summary judgment are predicated upon the propriety of rejecting the affidavits of Halfacre and Alexander. However, this Court finds that the circuit court abused its discretion in excluding those affidavits. See Issues I. and II. supra. Given the admissibility of Halfacre and Alexander's affidavits, for purposes of summary judgment and when reviewed in the light most favorable to Kilhullen, this Court finds that genuine issues of material fact exist for a jury to consider in determining the liability, vel non, of Kansas City Southern and Lay. [12]