Anderson v. Liberty Lobby

In Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242 (1986), the United States Supreme Court established the basic rule for lower courts to consider motions for summary judgment under Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c).

To obtain summary judgment, the moving party must show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to judgments as a matter of law. In considering a motion for summary judgment, the court will not "weigh the evidence and determine the truth of the matter." 477 U.S. at 249.

Although the court will view all underlying facts and inferences in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party, the nonmoving party nonetheless must offer some "concrete evidence from which a reasonable juror could return a verdict in his [or her] favor." Id. at 256. The nonmoving party must satisfy this burden of proof by offering more than a mere "scintilla of evidence" in support of his or her position. Id. at 252.

Justice Byron White delivered the opinion of the court, joined by Justices Thurgood Marshall, Harry Blackmun, Lewis Powell, John Paul Stevens, and Sandra Day O'Connor. Justices William Rehnquist (joined by Justice Warren Burger) and William Brennan wrote dissenting opinions.

External Links

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