GRS Development Co. v. Jarrett

45 V.I. 211, 2003 WL 21134437, 2003 V.I. LEXIS 18
CourtSupreme Court of The Virgin Islands
DecidedApril 10, 2003
DocketCivil No. 596/2001
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 45 V.I. 211 (GRS Development Co. v. Jarrett) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of The Virgin Islands primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
GRS Development Co. v. Jarrett, 45 V.I. 211, 2003 WL 21134437, 2003 V.I. LEXIS 18 (virginislands 2003).

Opinion

HODGE, Judge

MEMORANDUM OPINION

(April 10,2003)

This case comes before the Court on Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss, pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure; Defendant’s Motion to Deem Conceded, pursuant to Rule 7.1(j) of the Local Rules of Civil Procedure of the District Court of the Virgin Islands; Plaintiffs “Opposition to Motion to Deem as Conceded and Request for an Extension of Time, Etc.,” pursuant to Rule 10 of the Rules Governing the Territorial Court of the Virgin Islands; and Defendant’s “Motion to Strike Plaintiffs Response to the Motion to Dismiss, Etc.”1 As Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss refers to matters outside of the pleadings, the Court must treat this as a motion for summary judgment, pursuant to Rule 56 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. For the following reasons, all of the foregoing motions shall be denied.

[214]*214FACTS

GRS Development Company and Ian Samuel (“Samuel”) allege that Defendant and Third-Party Plaintiff Joan E. Jarrett (“Jarrett”) trespassed upon their property by constructing a driveway that infringes on Plaintiffs’ property line. GRS Development Company is a corporation originally formed by several family members in order to manage their real property, including Parcel No. 14G, Estate Enighed, St. John, United States Virgin Islands. Jarrett is the record owner of Parcel No. 14F, Estate Enighed. Samuel alleges that the construction of Jarrett’s driveway in July 1980 encroached onto Parcel No. 14G. Samuel further alleges that Jarrett has refused to remedy this alleged encroachment. However, Jarrett states that she is the lawful owner of the property upon which the driveway was built. Furthermore, Jarrett claims to have used this property continuously since 1980 to access her home and rental units, all of which are located on Parcel No. 14F.

The procedural history of this case is complicated. Jarrett filed her Motion to Dismiss pursuant to various provisions of Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b) on September 30, 2002. On October 1, this Court ordered Plaintiff to respond to such motion within twenty days. Samuel failed to do so, and on October 23, Jarrett filed a motion under the Local Rules of Civil Procedure to deem her motion to dismiss conceded. However, on November 6, Samuel filed an opposition to Jarrett’s Motion fo Deem Conceded and requested an enlargement of time within which to respond to Jarrett’s Motion to Dismiss. In the motion for enlargement of time, Samuel’s counsel stated that her busy practice “limited” her ability to prepare a response to Jarrett’s Motion to Dismiss. Samuel filed his response to Jarrett’s Motion to Dismiss on November 12. Subsequently, Jarrett filed a “Motion to Strike Plaintiffs Response to Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss,” pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(f), as Samuel had filed his untimely response before the Court had made a ruling on Plaintiffs motion for an enlargement of time. Each of these motions shall be addressed in turn.

[215]*215DISCUSSION

1. Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss, Construed as a Motion for Summary Judgment

As an initial matter, Jarrett’s Motion to Dismiss for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted refers to matters outside of the pleadings. As the Court has accepted and considered the documents submitted by Jarrett, the Motion to Dismiss is converted into a Motion for Summary Judgment, pursuant to Rule 56 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Ferris v. VI Indus. Gases, 23 V.I. 183, 186 (D.V.I. 1987). As a result, this Memorandum Opinion will refer to Jarrett’s motion as a Motion for Summary Judgment, with all references to related filings denominated accordingly.

2. Defendant’s Motion to Deem Conceded

Jarrett submits a motion to deem conceded her Motion for Summary Judgment, pursuant to Local Rule of Civil Procedure 7.1. Rule 7.1 provides that “[ujpon failure of [a] respondent to file a response and brief in opposition to [a] motion, the court may treat the motion as conceded and render whatever relief is asked for in the motion.” L.R. ClV. P. 7.1(j). This rule alone, however, is not an adequate basis upon which to grant a motion for summary judgment. See Anchorage Assocs. v. Virgin Islands Bd. of Tax Review, 922 F.3d 168, 175 (3d Cir. 1990) (rejecting a motion to deem conceded a motion for summary judgment). A court first must determine whether the moving party is entitled to summary judgment as a matter of law. Id. Furthermore, the plain language of the rule states that it is within the discretion of the court whether to deem a motion conceded. See L.R. ClV. P. 7.1(j) (“[T]he court may treat the motion as conceded ...(emphasis added)). Thus, a moving party is not entitled to have its outstanding motions deemed conceded as a matter of right. Consequently, rather than mechanically granting relief on procedural grounds, this Court has an obligation to assess the merits of Jarrett’s motion and the circumstances under which Jarrett’s motion arose.

[216]*216The Rules Governing the Territorial Court of the Virgin Islands provide as follows:

When an act is required or allowed to be done at or within a specified time—
(a) The court for cause shown may at any time in its discretion:
(1) With or without notice, order the period enlarged if application therefore is made before the expiration of the period originally prescribed or as extended by a previous order of the court.
(2) On motion, permit the act to be done after the expiration of the specified period if the failure to act was the result of excusable neglect.

TERR. Ct. R. 10 (emphasis added). A moving party must show more than merely being “too busy” to have responded. Kansas Packing Co. v. Lavilla, 39 V.I. 71 (Terr. Ct. St. T. & St. J. 1998) (stating that being an extremely busy attorney qualified as “cause shown” but does not qualify as excusable neglect as required by TERR. CT. R. 10(a)(2)).

In this case, it is beyond dispute that Samuel’s motion for an enlargement of time was untimely. Rule 10(a)(1) provides that such motions must be filed before the expiration of time originally prescribed or as ordered by the Court. Samuel’s response to Jarrett’s Motion for Summary Judgment was due on or before October 21, 2002. However, Samuel did not file his motion for an enlargement of time until November 2. Furthermore, Samuel’s attorney offers only the excuse of her hectic private practice as justification for her untimeliness in responding to Jarrett’s motion.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
45 V.I. 211, 2003 WL 21134437, 2003 V.I. LEXIS 18, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/grs-development-co-v-jarrett-virginislands-2003.