Turner v. McWhirter Material Handling Co.

35 F.R.D. 560, 1964 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7544
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Georgia
DecidedMarch 23, 1964
DocketCiv. A. Nos. 8480-8486, 8489, 8498
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 35 F.R.D. 560 (Turner v. McWhirter Material Handling Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Turner v. McWhirter Material Handling Co., 35 F.R.D. 560, 1964 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7544 (N.D. Ga. 1964).

Opinion

MORGAN, District Judge.

The defendant in the above-styled cases, on February 5, 1964, filed a motion for summary judgment pursuant to Rule 56 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, contending that it is entitled to judgment as a matter of law as there is no genuine issue as to any material fact. Attached to the defendant’s motion are affidavits of its President, Mr. George H. MeWhirter, Jr.; Max Hyman, Manager of Industrial Disposal Company of Louisville, Kentucky; Dean L. Buntrock, Manager of Ace Scavenger Service of Cicero, Illinois; and Robb Tyler, President of Robb Tyler, Inc., of Baltimore, Maryland. All of these affidavits provide similar statements to the effect that the services provided for the trash removal industry are considered as retail services within the industry.

On March 2, 1964, the plaintiffs moved this Court to dismiss the defendant’s motion for summary judgment on the ground that the pleadings, answers to interrogatories, and affidavits show that there is a genuine issue of material fact and that, therefore, the defendant is not entitled to a judgment in its favor as a matter of law. All of the plaintiffs herein have attached affidavits which state that the business of the defendant is not that of a retail service establishment, but rather indicate that the trash and disposal waste definitely has resale value in that it is greatly depended upon to rehabilitate useless lands, to manufacture steam, and to manufacture paper.

Each side has filed a motion to strike the affidavits of the other, but the Court overrules both these motions, as there is enough admissible evidence in these conflicting affidavits to warrant further development of the facts.

The law is well settled that in order to entitle the moving party to summary judgment, it must be clearly shown: (1) that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact in the case; and (2) that he is entitled to a judgment in his favor as a matter of law. The rule should be invoked cautiously in order to allow a full trial where there is a bona fide dispute of facts between the parties. Summary judgment should be granted only where the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law, where it is quite clear what the truth is, when no genuine issue remains for trial, and it is not the purpose of the rule to deny to litigants a right of trial if they really have issues to try. Sartor, et al. v. Arkansas Natural Gas Corporation, 321 U.S. 620, 64 S.Ct. 724, 88 L.Ed. 967; Associated Press, et al v. United States, 326 U.S. 1, 65 S.Ct. 1416, 89 L.Ed. 2013; Eccles v. Peoples Bank of Lakewood Village, 333 U.S. 426, 68 S.Ct. 641, 92 L.Ed. 784. It is no part of the duty of the Court to decide factual issues, but only to determine whether there are factual issues to be tried. Slagle v. United States, (5 Cir.) 228 F.2d 673.

The moving party has the burden of positively and clearly demonstrating that there is no genuine issue of fact and any doubt as to the existence of such an issue is resolved against him. Heyward v. Public Housing Administra[563]*563tion, et al, (5 Cir.) 238 F.2d 689. A long line of eases have held that summary judgment should not be granted if there is the “slightest doubt” as to the facts; which is actually another way of stating that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact. The fact that it may be surmised that the party against whom the motion is made is unlikely to prevail at the trial is not sufficient to authorize summary judgment against him. Bruce Construction Corporation, et al v. United States, (5 Cir.) 242 F.2d 873; Barron & Holtzoff, Federal Practice and Procedure, Vol. 3, § 1234, pp. 124 and 132. The burden is heavy on the moving party to establish clearly his right to summary judgment. See Moore’s Federal Practice, 2d Ed. ¶[56.11 [3]. Even in cases where the movant has technically discharged his burden, the trial court in the exercise of a sound discretion may decline to grant summary judgment. Moore’s Federal Practice, 2d Ed. ¶[56.23, p. 2340. It is likewise held that discretion plays no real role in the grant of a summary judgment; it being held that the granting of such judgment must be proper or such action is subject to reversal. The exercise of sound discretion applies only in denying such motions in appropriate circumstances. Moore’s Federal Practice, 2d Ed., ¶56.24, p. 2342. National Screen Service Corporation v. Poster Exchange, Inc., 5 Cir., 305 F.2d 647.

It is not absolutely clear to this Court what the truth is. Indeed, the plaintiffs and the defendant are in direct conflict as to what the truth is. I do not believe that, in a ease in which the decision must turn on the reliability of witnesses, the Supreme Court, by authorizing summary judgment, intends to permit a “trial by affidavits”, if either party objects. Arnstein v. Porter, 2 Cir., 154 F.2d 464, 471.

The motion of the plaintiffs to dismiss the motion for summary judgment filed by the defendant is granted, and the motion for summary judgment is denied.

As ample authority exists for the intervention of the United States Department of Labor as a party plaintiff pursuant to Rule 24 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the motion to intervene, filed by the Department on February 26, 1964, is hereby granted.

It is so ordered.

On Motion to Intervene

On February 26, 1964, W. Willard Wirtz, Secretary of Labor, United States Department of Labor, moved to intervene as a party plaintiff pursuant to Rule 24 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Three reasons were listed as to why the intervention should be allowed:

“(1) The Secretary of Labor, United States Department of Labor, by virtue of Reorganization Plan No. 6 of 1950 (15 Federal Regulations 3174) 64 Stat. 1263, 5 U.S.C. 133z-15, effective May 24, 1950, is charged with duties and responsibilities in the administration of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C., § 201, et seq.).

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Bluebook (online)
35 F.R.D. 560, 1964 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7544, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/turner-v-mcwhirter-material-handling-co-gand-1964.