377 Realty Partners, L.P. v. Taffarello

561 F. Supp. 2d 659, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1438, 2007 WL 101832
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Texas
DecidedJanuary 8, 2007
Docket4:05-cr-00199
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 561 F. Supp. 2d 659 (377 Realty Partners, L.P. v. Taffarello) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
377 Realty Partners, L.P. v. Taffarello, 561 F. Supp. 2d 659, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1438, 2007 WL 101832 (E.D. Tex. 2007).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER GRANTING IN PART AND DENYING IN PART 377 REALTY PARTNERS, L.P., ET AL.’s MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

RICHARD A. SCHELL, District Judge.

Before the court is the “Motion for Summary Judgment of 377 Realty L.P. (sic), Allison L. Scott (sic), 377 Management Group, L.L.C., Aubrey Development Corporation, Gail Cooper, Cash Cooper, Crystal G. Ricks, and James P. Moon” 1 (docket *662 entry # 65) and “Diana Taffarello and Robert Soltis, Jr.’s Memorandum in Opposition to Motion for Summary Judgment filed by 377 Realty Partners L.P., [et al.]” (docket entry # 69). Upon consideration, the court is of the opinion that the motion for summary judgment should be granted in part and denied in part.

Objections and Motions to Strike

Taffarello and Soltis, Jr. (collectively, “Taffarello”) asserted several objections to the summary judgment evidence offered by the 377 Parties and also moved to strike certain portions of the summary judgment evidence. Upon consideration of these objections, the court makes the following rulings.

Taffarello first argues that the 377 Parties are requesting only a partial summary judgment. Upon reading the motion made by the 377 Parties, the court is of the opinion that they are moving for summary judgment on only the fraudulent transfer and civil conspiracy claims and will therefore address only whether summary judgment is proper as to those claims.

Taffarello also moved to strike portions of the affidavits of Scott, G. Cooper, Moon, C. Cooper, and Ricks. In objecting to the Scott, G. Cooper, and Moon affidavits, Taf-farello employed several generic objections: (1) the statements are based upon speculation, inadmissible hearsay or opinion; (2) the affiant is an interested party who fails to set forth specific facts and whose statements are contradicted; and (3) the statements refer to the intent of the affiant and go to the affiant’s credibility (the three collectively referred to as “General Objections”). Taffarello’s Resp. to Mot. Summ. J. (“Resp.”) ¶¶ 8-10, 12-15. Taffarello also lodged more specific objections to the G. Cooper, C. Cooper, and Ricks affidavits. In addition to the General Objections, Taffarello objects to G. Cooper’s affidavit because he is a convicted felon. Taffarello objects to C. Cooper and Ricks’ affidavits as conclusory and speculative and also as failing to set forth facts based upon personal knowledge.

1. General Objections to the Summary Judgment Affidavits

A party may not defeat a properly supported motion for summary judgment merely by raising generalized questions as to the credibility of the movant’s affiants. Robinson v. Cheney, 876 F.2d 152, 162 (D.C.Cir.1989). When a party objects to an affidavit because an affiant is an “interested party,” there is no rule that requires exclusion of evidence on that basis alone. Martinez v. Prestige Ford Garland, L.P., 2004 WL 1194460, *4, n. 7 (N.D.Tex. May 28, 2004). Such an objection is similar to questioning the witness’s credibility, and the court does not rule on questions regarding a witness’s credibility when determining summary judgment motions. Id. See Reeves v. Sanderson Plumbing Prods., Inc., 530 U.S. 133, 150, 120 S.Ct. 2097, 147 L.Ed.2d 105 (2000). So long as an affidavit is “clear, direct, and free from contradictions and inconsistencies,” then summary judgment may be granted based upon the affidavits of interested parties. Dickson v. Am. Red Cross Nat’l Headquarters, 1997 WL 118415, *5 (N.D.Tex. Mar. 10, 1997).

An interested party may make an affidavit so long as the affidavit is based upon personal knowledge. See Gibson v. Liberty Mutual Group, 129 Fed.Appx. 94, 95-96 (5th Cir.2005); Juarez v. Menard, Inc., 366 F.3d 479, 484 n. 4 (7th Cir.2004). If an affidavit contains portions that are not based upon personal knowledge, the court must disregard those portions as inadmissible and consider only the remaining portions, which are based upon personal knowledge. Lee v. Nat’l Life Assurance Co. of Canada, 632 F.2d 524, 529 (5th Cir.1980). The court has considered this *663 case law regarding summary judgment affidavits and has also considered the objections requesting the court to strike portions of the above-mentioned affidavits. Having done so, the court will consider the summary judgment evidence that it deems proper based upon the appropriate law.

2. Objection to Gail Cooper’s Ajfidavit

The court does feel it is necessary to more closely address the wholesale objection to Gail Cooper’s affidavit. Taf-farello objects to G. Cooper’s affidavit in its entirety because he is a convicted felon. Resp. ¶ 11; G. Cooper Dep. 35:15. Taffar-ello argues that because G. Cooper is a felon he is neither competent to make the affidavit nor sufficiently credible to testify on matters stated within the affidavit. Federal courts, however, have concluded that summary judgment affidavits are not automatically improper solely because the affiant was a convicted felon. Strickland v. Watt, 453 F.2d 393, 394 (9th Cir.1972) (finding that summary judgment is not automatically improper because affiant was previously convicted of a felony); SEC v. Scherm, 854 F.Supp. 900, 905 (N.D.Ga.1993). Rather, the party opposing summary judgment must produce additional evidence to support its contention that the affiant’s testimony is not credible. Scherm, 854 F.Supp. at 905. Such evidence normally consists of additional testimony contradicting the facts that the affi-ant has asserted. Id. Without something more, a felony conviction alone will not bar consideration of the affidavit or summary judgment based thereon. Id. See also, Strickland, 453 F.2d at 394.

In the instant case, Taffarello objects to G. Cooper’s affidavit because he is a convicted felon and therefore “is not competent to make this affidavit and does not possess the requisite credibility to testify on the matters stated” therein. Response, p. 4, ¶ B(11). Taffarello does not point the court toward any additional evidence to support this contention. For instance, Taffarello has not attempted to specify the evidence contradicting any facts G. Cooper has asserted. 2 With only this one-paragraph reference to G. Cooper’s lack of credibility because of his conviction, the court will not grant Taffarello’s motion to strike the affidavit. As to the general objections made, the court will consider the evidence that it finds to be proper summary judgment evidence.

Background

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Bluebook (online)
561 F. Supp. 2d 659, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1438, 2007 WL 101832, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/377-realty-partners-lp-v-taffarello-txed-2007.