Alliance Communications Cooperative, Inc. v. Global Crossing Telecommunications, Inc.

690 F. Supp. 2d 889, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12281
District Court, D. South Dakota·Decided February 11, 2010·No. Civ. 06-4221-KES, 06-3023-KES, 06-3025-KES, 06-4144-KES, 07-3003-KES·Published·Cited by 2 cases

Opinion

ORDER

KAREN E. SCHREIER, Chief Judge.

Plaintiffs move for reconsideration of the court’s order denying defendant Onvoy, Inc.’s (Onvoy) motion for summary judgment, granting defendant Trans National Communications International, Inc.’s (TNCI) motion for summary judgment, denying defendant Global Crossing Telecommunications, Inc.’s (Global Crossing) motion for summary judgment, granting in part and denying in part defendant Sprint Communications Company Limited Partnership’s (Sprint) motion for summary judgment, granting plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment on Global Crossing’s counterclaims, and granting in part and denying in part third-party defendant Express Communications, Inc.’s (Express) motion for summary judgment on Global Crossing’s and Sprint’s third-party complaints. See Order, Docket 253. Specifically, plaintiffs seek reconsideration of the court’s factual determination that “none of defendants subscribed to plaintiffs’ switched access services by submitting an Access Order as prescribed in the tariffs.” Id. at 22. Plaintiffs also seek reconsideration of the court’s ruling that TNCI, Global Crossing, and Sprint did not constructively order services under plaintiffs’ tariffs. Onvoy, TNCI, Global Crossing, and Sprint oppose plaintiffs’ motion to reconsider.

BACKGROUND

Plaintiffs, a group composed of local exchange carriers (LECs) located in South Dakota, and centralized equal access provider South Dakota Network, LLC (SDN), filed this consolidated action against defendants to recover access charges allegedly owed pursuant to plaintiffs’ tariffs filed with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission (SDPUC). A number of counterclaims, third-party complaints, and cross-claims were also filed, but plaintiffs’ present motion does not implicate those claims.

On September 21, 2009, the court issued an order ruling on defendants’ summary judgment motions (hereinafter referred to as “summary judgment order”). The court found that “none of defendants subscribed to plaintiffs’ switched access services by submitting an Access Order as prescribed in the tariffs,” but went on to consider whether each defendant constructively ordered services under plaintiffs’ tariffs. Id. at 22. The court found that there were disputed issues of material fact relating to the issue of whether Onvoy constructively ordered originating access services under plaintiffs’ tariffs and was therefore liable for the associated access charges. As a result, the court denied Onvoy’s motion for summary judgment. With respect to TNCI, Global Crossing, and Sprint, however, the court found as a matter of law that these parties did not receive access services under plaintiffs’ tariffs (with respect to the traffic at issue), and as a result did not constructively order access services and become liable for access charges. Thus, the court granted *893 TNGI’s motion for summary judgment and denied Global Crossing’s and Sprint’s motions for summary judgment on the limited issue of whether Global Crossing and Sprint had paid plaintiffs for access services they admitted to ordering and receiving.

Plaintiffs now argue that the court erred in finding that “none of defendants subscribed to plaintiffs’ switched access services by submitting an Access Order as prescribed in the tariffs” and in failing to consider issues of material fact that may establish that TNCI, Global Crossing, and Sprint are liable under the constructive ordering doctrine. The court will consider plaintiffs’ second contention first.

STANDARD

The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure do not mention motions to reconsider. The Eighth Circuit has instructed courts to consider such motions either under Rule 59(e) or Rule 60(b). Sanders v. Clemco Indus., 862 F.2d 161, 168 (8th Cir.1988); see also Schoffstall v. Henderson, 223 F.3d 818, 827 (8th Cir.2000) (holding that Rule 59(e) applies to a motion to reconsider); Broadway v. Norris, 193 F.3d 987, 989 (8th Cir.1999) (analyzing whether Rule 59(e) or Rule 60(b) applies to a motion to reconsider). Here, plaintiffs move under Rule 59(e), which permits a party to file a motion to alter or amend a judgment within ten days 1 of that judgment. Fed. R.Civ.P. 59(e). Rule 59(e) refers to entry of judgment, but some authority indicates that a district court may entertain a Rule 59(e) motion before the entry of final judgment on a separate document. Sanders, 862 F.2d at 168 n. 12.

“Motions for reconsideration serve a limited function: to correct manifest errors of law or fact or to present newly discovered evidence.” Hagerman v. Yukon Energy Corp., 839 F.2d 407, 414 (8th Cir.1988) (quoting Rothwell Cotton Co. v. Rosenthal & Co., 827 F.2d 246, 251 (7th Cir.), as amended, 835 F.2d 710 (7th Cir.1987)). A Rule 59(e) motion cannot be used “to introduce new evidence that could have been adduced during pendency of the summary judgment motion.... Nor should a motion for reconsideration serve as the occasion to tender new legal theories for the first time.” Concordia College Corp. v. W.R. Grace & Co., 999 F.2d 326, 330 (8th Cir.1993) (quoting Hagerman, 839 F.2d at 414). District courts have broad discretion in determining whether to grant a motion for reconsideration. Hagerman, 839 F.2d at 413-14.

DISCUSSION

I. Motion to Reconsider Court’s Finding That TNCI, Global Crossing, and Sprint Did Not Constructively Order Services

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Alliance Communications Cooperative, Inc. v. Global Crossing Telecommunications, Inc., 690 F. Supp. 2d 889, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12281 (D.S.D. 2010).

690 F. Supp. 2d 889 (Alliance Communications Cooperative, Inc. v. Global Crossing Telecommunications, Inc.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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