Court Opinion

ID: 9839101
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-11 18:00:51.099506+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:10:55.149680
License: Public Domain

Case: 23-20017         Document: 00516889926             Page: 1      Date Filed: 09/11/2023

              United States Court of Appeals
                   for the Fifth Circuit
                                      ____________                      United States Court of Appeals
                                                                                 Fifth Circuit

                                       No. 23-20017
                                                                               FILED
                                                                       September 11, 2023
                                     Summary Calendar
                                     ____________                          Lyle W. Cayce
                                                                                Clerk
   Philip Drayton,

                                                                     Plaintiff—Appellant,

                                             versus

   United Airlines, Incorporated; Air Serv Corporation;
   ABM Industries, Incorporated; ABM Aviation,
   Incorporated,

                                               Defendants—Appellees.
                      ______________________________

                      Appeal from the United States District Court
                          for the Southern District of Texas
                               USDC No. 4:19-CV-2993
                      ______________________________

   Before Dennis, Engelhardt, and Wilson, Circuit Judges.
   Per Curiam:*
          Plaintiff-Appellant Philip Drayton filed this personal injury suit
   against Defendants-Appellees United Airlines, Inc. (“United”), ABM Avia-
   tion Inc., ABM Industries Incorporated, and Air Serv Corporation (“De-
   fendants”). Drayton alleges that he suffered injuries to his leg as a result of

          _____________________
          *
              This opinion is not designated for publication. See 5th Cir. R. 47.5.
Case: 23-20017      Document: 00516889926          Page: 2    Date Filed: 09/11/2023

                                    No. 23-20017

   the Defendants’ negligence. The Defendants moved for summary judgment.
   The district court granted summary judgment in favor of the Defendants,
   finding that Drayton had failed to offer evidence that would prove an essen-
   tial element of his claim. We AFFIRM.
                        Facts and Procedural Background
          Drayton filed his complaint in the District Court of Harris County,
   Texas, on July 15, 2019. The Defendants removed the action to the Southern
   District of Texas on August 12, 2019. Drayton alleges in his complaint that
   he was injured on July 17, 2017, while traveling on United Flight 1844 from
   Houston, Texas to San Francisco, California. Drayton claims he suffered his
   injuries when the wheelchair he was riding in collided with a wall during the
   boarding process. He asserts a negligence claim based on his injuries, claim-
   ing the Defendants breached their duty of care by “failing to provide ordinary
   care in transporting him to the plane,” proximately causing his injuries.
          Following discovery, the Defendants filed their motion for summary
   judgment on November 8, 2015. In support of their motion, the Defendants
   largely relied on Drayton’s own deposition testimony. At his deposition,
   Drayton testified that he didn’t “remember the exact day,” or even the year,
   of the injury. At first, he stated that he was not sure what airline he traveled
   on when he suffered his injury, but later recalled that it was on American Air-
   lines, not United, one of the defendants here. The Defendants argued that
   based on the deposition and other summary judgment evidence, Drayton
   could not demonstrate that the Defendants owed him a duty of care or
   breached that duty, warranting summary judgment.
          In response to the Defendants’ motion for summary judgment, Dray-
   ton pointed to the August 8, 2017, statement of Philippa Lawrence (the
   “Lawrence statement”), another passenger on United Flight 1844. Drayton
   disclosed this statement to the Defendants on November 8, 2022, the same

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   day they filed their motion for summary judgment. In the document, Law-
   rence stated that while boarding, she saw that the employee pushing Drayton
   in the wheelchair was “not really paying attention to what she’s doing.” She
   then stated that the employee pushed Drayton into a wall, and as a result he
   appeared to be in a considerable amount of pain. In addition to her statement,
   Drayton also attached his airline tickets for the United flight, interrogatory
   responses to ABM aviation stating that he was “assigned a Customer Care
   Agent to assist with boarding” that flight, and his deposition as summary
   judgment evidence.
          After considering the Defendants’ motion and Drayton’s response,
   the district court found that Drayton’s delayed disclosure of the Lawrence
   statement was untimely under Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(a)(1)(A)(ii), and thus disre-
   garded it under Fed. R. Civ. P. 37(c)(1). It then found that without the Law-
   rence statement, the “plaintiff has failed to offer evidence that his injury oc-
   curred in relation to a United flight or any other conduct by Defendants.”
   Thus, because Drayton could not “satisfy the elements of breach or causa-
   tion,” the district court granted the Defendants’ motion for summary judg-
   ment. Drayton appealed to this Court.
                           Summary Judgment Standard
          This court reviews grants of summary judgment de novo. Templet v.
   HydroChem Inc., 367 F.3d 473, 477 (5th Cir. 2004) (citing Tango Transp. v.
   Healthcare Fin. Servs. LLC, 322 F.3d 888, 890 (5th Cir. 2003)). Summary
   judgment is only appropriate when “the movant shows that there is no
   genuine dispute as to any material fact.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a). “A party
   asserting that a fact cannot be or is genuinely disputed must support the
   assertion by . . . citing to particular parts of materials in the record . . .” Fed.
   R. Civ. P. 56(c)(1)(A). “[T]he plain language of Rule 56(c) mandates the
   entry of summary judgment, after adequate time for discovery and upon

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   motion, against a party who fails to make a showing sufficient to establish the
   existence of an element essential to that party’s case, and on which that party
   will bear the burden of proof at trial.” Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317,
   322 (1986).
                 Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 26(a) & 37(c)
          Rule 26(a)(1)(A) requires that the parties “must . . . provide to the
   other parties . . . all documents . . . that the disclosing party has in its
   possession, custody, or control and may use to support its claims or defenses,
   unless the use would be solely for impeachment.” Fed. R. Civ. P.
   26(a)(1)(A)(ii). These disclosures “must be made within 14 days after the
   parties’ Rule 26(f) conference unless a different time is set by stipulation or
   court order.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(a)(1)(C). Under Rule 37, “[i]f a party
   fails to provide information . . . as required by Rule 26(a). . . the party is not
   allowed to use that information . . . to supply evidence on a motion…unless
   the failure was substantially justified or is harmless.” Fed. R. Civ. P.
   37(c)(1).
                                       Analysis
      1. The district court properly disregarded the Lawrence statement
          The district court disregarded the Lawrence statement under Rule
   37(c) when considering the Defendants’ motion for summary judgment
   because Drayton failed to timely disclose the document under Rule 26(a)(1).
   We review a district court’s decision to exclude evidence pursuant to Rule
   37(c) for abuse of discretion. CQ, Inc. v. TXU Min. Co., L.P., 565 F.3d 268,
   277 (5th Cir. 2009).
          The district court did not abuse its discretion here, and correctly
   disregarded the Lawrence statement. Drayton disclosed the statement to the
   Defendants more than two years after the parties’ Rule 26(f) conference, well

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   in expiration of the 14-day window provided for timely disclosure. See Fed.
   R. Civ. P. Rule 26(A)(1)(C). Contrary to Drayton’s arguments on appeal,
   the mere disclosure of Lawrence’s name as a potential witness is insufficient
   to escape the ambit of the Rule. It requires disclosure of documents, such as
   her statement, not merely her name as a witness.
          Nor does this Court see any reason to disturb the district court’s
   finding that the disclosure was not substantially justified or harmless.
   Drayton makes no attempt on appeal to argue that his failure to disclose the
   statement was substantially justified, and his arguments that it was harmless
   are unavailing. And as we have held, permitting new evidence at the summary
   judgment stage is not harmless under Rule 37. See CQ, Inc., 565 F.3d at 280
   (“[G]iven the advanced stage of the litigation [motions for summary
   judgment], permitting the new evidence would not have been harmless.”).
      2. Summary judgment is appropriate on the remaining evidence
          Drayton argues on appeal that even without the Lawrence statement,
   summary judgment is inappropriate because the district court “gave
   improper weight” to the plaintiff’s deposition testimony and disputed fact
   issues remain.
          To avoid summary judgment, the non-moving party must establish
   “the existence of an element essential to that party’s case . . . on which that
   party will bear the burden of proof at trial.” Celotex Corp., 477 U.S. at 322.
   Under Texas law, the elements of a negligence claim include “a duty, a
   breach of that duty, and damages proximately caused by the breach.” Western
   Investments, Inc. v. Urena, 162 S.W.3d 547, 550 (Tex. 2005). The parties
   agree that Drayton flew on United Flight 1844 on July 17, 2017, and received
   boarding assistance. However, without the Lawrence statement, Drayton
   cannot point to any facts in the record showing that his injuries occurred on
   that day or on any United flight. This alone demonstrates that he has failed

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   to establish the essential elements of breach and proximate causation,
   warranting summary judgment. See Celotex Corp., 477 U.S. at 322.
          Further, contrary to Drayton’s assertions, the district court did not
   “improperly weigh” his deposition testimony. Rather than making any kind
   of credibility determination, it discussed his deposition testimony to note that
   it failed to establish an essential element of his claim.
                                     Conclusion
          Because the district court properly granted the Defendants’ motion
   for summary judgment, we AFFIRM the district court’s judgment.

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