Opinion ID: 6109526
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Banner’s motion for summary judgment

Text: In May 2018 Banner moved to compel Bridges to provide responses to Banner’s discovery requests. Although the responses had been due in March, and although Banner had repeatedly inquired about the status of the responses, it still had not received them. Banner then filed a second motion to compel in June, claiming that Bridges had “served Banner with a set of severely deficient discovery responses” and had failed to respond to Banner’s attempt to confer about the deficiencies. The court granted both motions to compel. Banner then moved for summary judgment in July, relying on affidavits in which a neonatologist and an obstetrician opined that Banner’s employees had met the requisite standards of care. Bridges did not timely oppose the motion, and the court granted it ten days after the deadline passed. Four days later the court processed — but did not accept for filing — Bridges’s late opposition to summary judgment, which included two expert affidavits and a request for oral argument. In August Bridges moved for reconsideration of Banner’s summary judgment. Bridges also attempted to file a motion under Civil Rule 56(f) for more time to oppose summary judgment,6 but the motion was not accepted for filing. The court 6 Alaska R. Civ. P. 56 (f) (“Should it appear from the affidavits of a party opposing the motion that the party cannot for reasons stated present by affidavit facts (continued...) -5- 7580 explained that Bridges had already late-filed her response to Banner’s summary judgment motion, that her response had not been accompanied by a motion to accept late filing, and that judgment had already been entered by the time Bridges’s response was received. Bridges then filed a motion contending that her response had been erroneously rejected by the court clerk and arguing that the court should accept her late opposition to Banner’s summary judgment. After a delay caused by Bridges’s improper service, Banner responded to the motion and asked that it be struck from the record.