Court Opinion

ID: 9482043
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 08:38:38.513386+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:48:43.822232
License: Public Domain

RONEY, Senior Circuit Judge,
dissenting:
I respectfully dissent. While I agree with the exposition of summary judgment law in the Court’s opinion, I think those standards were misapplied by the district court in this case.
*594Plaintiff asserts that the injuries he suffered were caused “by a ball of fire”, the combustion of airborne waste particles which had accumulated due to negligent maintenance. The defendant moved for summary judgment on the ground that it warned both plaintiff and his employer of the high voltage electric current present in that area. Mississippi Chemical Corp. v. Rogers, 368 So.2d 220, 222 (Miss.1979). This warning would not insulate the defendant from liability if the high voltage warned of was not the sole cause of plaintiff’s injuries. The defendant does not allege that it warned plaintiff of high voltage electricity plus a contaminated work place that would create a dangerous ball of fire.
The district court concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support the plaintiff's theory regarding the cause of the injury. But before the plaintiff was required to make any showing, the defendant was required to show there was no issue of fact that it warned, the plaintiff of cause of the injury. Although plaintiff admits the warning, the defendant failed to point to a record that shows without question that plaintiff was injured by high voltage alone.
A review of the record reveals that the district court was in all likelihood correct in concluding that the plaintiff had failed to produce sufficient evidence to demonstrate that a ball of fire, rather than electric current, caused his injuries. In fact, the plaintiff virtually admits that the record is devoid of evidence demonstrating that the fire was caused by the combustion of airborne particles. But the defendant did not move for summary judgment on the ground that the plaintiff could not prove his alleged cause of injury, as was the ease in Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 2552, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986).
The plaintiff correctly argues on appeal that he was never given adequate notice that causation was in issue. Thus, the burden never shifted to the plaintiff to support his theory. The plaintiffs response to the defendant’s motion for summary judgment reflects this fact by addressing only the arguments advanced by the defendant and demonstrating to the court that even if true the defendant’s arguments would not necessitate a judgment in defendant’s favor.
Only in the defendant’s reply to the plaintiff’s response did the defendant suggest that the record did not contain evidence to support the plaintiff’s view. “In his response to the Motion for Summary Judgment, Russ has wholly failed to make out a prima facie case of negligence against International Paper Company, and therefore, summary judgment for International Paper Company is proper.” Raising this argument at this juncture suggests a misunderstanding of the proper placement of burdens in a summary judgment proceeding. The opposing party has no obligation to produce evidence concerning an argument that has not been raised. In Celotex, Justice White, who supplied the majority’s fifth vote, noted in his concurring opinion that “[i]t is not enough to move for summary judgment without supporting the motion in any way or with a conclusory assertion that the plaintiff has no evidence to prove his case.” Celotex, 477 U.S. at 328, 106 S.Ct. at 2555 (White, J., concurring); Galindo v. Precision American Corp., 754 F.2d 1212, 1221 (5th Cir.1985) (conclusory statements of law or fact are not sufficient to shift summary judgment burden).
I would vacate the judgment and remand the case to the district court to apply the summary judgment principles set forth in this Court’s opinion. If the defendant chooses to ground a motion for summary judgment on the cause of the injuries and can meet its burden of demonstrating the parts of the record which support that motion, then the plaintiff should be given the opportunity to rebut the case with a showing of triable issues of material fact.