W.C. & A.N. Miller Companies v. United States

173 F.R.D. 1, 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6361, 1997 WL 251515
District Court, District of Columbia·Decided May 6, 1997·No. Civil Action Nos. 96-0453 (SS), 97-0350 (SS)·Published·Cited by 71 cases

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

SPORKIN, District Judge.

BACKGROUND

On March 8, 1996, the plaintiff W.C. & A.N. Miller Companies (“Miller”) sued the Army under the Federal Tort Claims Act, 28 U.S.C. §§ 1346(b), 2671 et seq. (“FTCA”), for damages arising from the United States Army’s burial of munitions during World War I on land in Northwest Washington, District of Columbia. On July 19, 1996, the United States filed a motion to dismiss or, in the alternative, for summary judgment. Miller opposed the government’s motion, but did not cross-move for summary judgment. On March 21, 1997, in a Memorandum Opinion and Order, the Court denied the defendant’s motion and held that the defendant breached its duty to the plaintiff by failing to warn of the buried munitions.

On February 21, 1997, three homeowners who had purchased their property from Miller also filed suit. The homeowners’ suit was consolidated with the present suit for administrative convenience. The three homeowners each claim that they suffered a loss of equity when they subsequently sold their homes. The homeowners sue the United States under the FTCA for negligence, public and private nuisance, and trespass. The homeowners sue Miller in common law tort for fraudulent misrepresentation, negligent misrepresentation, and rescission.

On April 2, 1997, the United States filed a “Motion for Reconsideration” of the Court’s March 21, 1997 Order, pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 59(e). The United States also filed a Motion to Dismiss the claims against it by the homeowners. On April 14, 1997, Miller filed a Motion to Dismiss or for Summary Judgment against the homeowners. The Court held a hearing on these Motions on May 5, 1997.

Based on the arguments, the pleadings, the entire record herein and the law applicable thereto, and for the reasons expressed below, the Court will deny the United States’ Motion for Reconsideration, will grant the United States’ Motion to Dismiss the home[3] owners’ claims against the government, and •will grant Miller’s Motion to Dismiss the homeowners’ claims against Miller.

DISCUSSION

I. THE COURT WILL DENY THE UNITED STATES’ MOTION FOR RECONSIDERATION.

A “Motion for Reconsideration,” although not expressly provided for in the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, may be treated as a motion to alter or amend judgment pursuant to Rule 59(e) if it is filed within 10 days of entry of the judgment. See Derrington-Bey v. District of Columbia Dept. of Corrections, 39 F.3d 1224, 1226 (D.C.Cir.1994). The government’s present motion is timely under Rule 59(e).

The primary reasons for granting a Rule 59(e) motion are “an intervening change of controlling law, the availability of new evidence, or the need to correct a clear error or prevent manifest injustice.” National Trust v. Department of State, 834 F.Supp. 453, 455 (D.D.C.1993) (quoting Virgin Atlantic Airways, Ltd. v. National Mediation Bd., 956 F.2d 1245, 1255 (2d Cir.), cert. denied, 506 U.S. 820, 113 S.Ct. 67, 121 L.Ed.2d 34 (1992)), affd in part and rev’d in part on other grounds sub nom. Sheridan Kalorama Historical Ass’n v. Christopher, 49 F.3d 750 (D.C.Cir.1995). A Rule 59(e) motion is not a second opportunity to present argument upon which the Court has already ruled, nor is it a means to bring before the Court theories or arguments that could have been advanced earlier.

In acting on the government’s July 19, 1996 motion in this case, the Court held that the government breached its duty to warn Miller of the buried munitions. The United States argues that the Court could not so hold without the plaintiff first having requested such a disposition because, in doing so, the Court imposed liability on the government without proper notice, without allowing discovery on the merits, and without requiring the plaintiff to demonstrate the merits of their claim.

A court may enter summary judgment, sua sponte, in favor of a party opposing summary judgment, even if, as in this case, that party has not made a formal cross-motion for summary judgment. See Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 326, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 2554, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986); Leahy v. District of Columbia, 833 F.2d 1046, 1047 (D.C.Cir.1987); 10A Charles Alan Wright, Arthur R. Miller, Mary Kay Kane, Federal Practice and Procedure § 2720, at 28-34 (2d ed.1983). The critical question for the Court is whether the losing party was “on notice” that it needed to “come forward with all of [its] evidence.” Celotex, 477 U.S. at 326, 106 S.Ct. at 2554. To be on notice “does not mean that [the defendant] had to receive a formal document called ‘notice’ or that the district court had to say the words ‘you are on notice’ or even that the court had to explicitly tell [the defendant], T am thinking of ordering summary judgment for [the plaintiff] sua sponte.’” National Expositions, Inc. v. Crowley Maritime Corp., 824 F.2d 131, 133 (1st Cir.1987). Rather, the question is whether, given the particular procedural posture of the case, the defendant had the opportunity to demonstrate that there was a genuine material issue and its opponent was not entitled to judgment as a matter of law. In this case, the government had that opportunity.

At the outset, the Court notes that, prior to the government’s July 19, 1996 motion, the parties had engaged in extensive discovery. In fact, the parties requested extensions of time in the dispositive motion schedule in light of the

substantial number of documents that must be accessed and reviewed____ [T]he Department of the Army in Baltimore, Maryland, maintains approximately twenty-five filing cabinets full of documents associated with Spring Valley, the property at issue in this lawsuit.

Joint Motion for Amended Dispositive Motion Schedule (June 7, 1996). The late Honorable Charles R. Richey, who presided over this case until his death, granted the requested extensions to ensure that sufficient time was afforded for discovery.

[4] Despite the voluminous documents reviewed by the parties and those submitted to this Court in connection with the government’s July 19, 1996 motion, the government asserts that more discovery is needed. However, the government has been unable to proffer any specific evidence which would materially alter the Court’s previously stated rulings in this case.

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W.C. & A.N. Miller Companies v. United States, 173 F.R.D. 1, 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6361, 1997 WL 251515 (D.D.C. 1997).

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