Court Opinion

ID: 9715191
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 05:57:14.151664+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:23:32.323235
License: Public Domain

STATON, Judge,
concurring in result.
I concur in result, since I can not agree with the rationale employed by the Majority Opinion regarding TR. 56(E). The Majority Opinion is incorrect when it concludes: “The denial of a summary judgment may be properly appealed to this Court following a trial on the merits and the entry of a final judgment.” The rationale of the Majority Opinion is that there is a conflict between The Civil Code Study Commission Comments and the clear meaning of TR. 56(E): “(t)herefore, the clear meaning of the trial rule must take precedence and supersede the comments of the Study Commission.” On the contrary, the denial of a summary judgment is moot on appeal when the issues have been tried on the merits and a final judgment has been rendered by the trial court. The language quoted from TR. 56(E) by the Majority: “Denial of summary judgment may be challenged by a motion to correct errors after a final judgment or order is entered.” refers to that portion of TR. 56(C) that permits the trial court to enter a judgment “as to less than all the issues, claims or parties.” In other words, it refers to'an interlocutory appeal. The “final judgment” in that portion of TR. 56(E) quoted by the Majority does not mean final judgment after a trial on the merits but entry of final judgment by the trial court where a party moves for summary judgment and a summary judgment is granted to the non-moving party or where all parties move for summary judgment and the trial court grants summary judgment as to some and denies summary judgment as to others. The entry of final judgment is made before any trial on the merits. Furthermore, a partial summary judgment which is the subject of this appeal is specifically covered by TR. 56(C), not TR. 56(E). Any rationale which would suggest that the denial of partial summary judgment could be reviewed on appeal after the trial court had heard testimony of all the witnesses and weighed all the evidence presented on the merits is specious. It only creates errors for review which have already been decided on the merits and must be tested by entirely different standards of review. Therefore, I concur in result only upon the Majority’s treatment of partial summary judgment. As to the remainder of the Majority Opinion, I concur.