Which sources can support a motion for summary judgment?

Which sources can support a motion for summary judgment?

• A. Pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, admissions on file, and affidavits.
• B. Only the pleadings.
• C. Hearsay statements.
• D. Personal memory without record.

Answer: (A)

A summary-judgment motion rests on evidence in the existing record, not on new statements. To meet the standard, the movant must show there is no genuine dispute of a material fact and that they are entitled to judgment as a matter of law, using materials that would be admissible at trial. The sources that fit this requirement include pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, admissions on file, and affidavits. These provide sworn or otherwise admissible evidence: depositions and affidavits are sworn testimony, answers to interrogatories are sworn responses, and admissions on file are binding statements by a party. Pleadings help frame the issues but are not by themselves proof of a fact. Because the rule requires admissible evidence, hearsay statements and personal memories without the proper record generally cannot support a motion for summary judgment. Thus, the listed sources together give the proper evidentiary basis for showing there is no genuine dispute.

A summary-judgment motion rests on evidence in the existing record, not on new statements. To meet the standard, the movant must show there is no genuine dispute of a material fact and that they are entitled to judgment as a matter of law, using materials that would be admissible at trial. The sources that fit this requirement include pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, admissions on file, and affidavits. These provide sworn or otherwise admissible evidence: depositions and affidavits are sworn testimony, answers to interrogatories are sworn responses, and admissions on file are binding statements by a party. Pleadings help frame the issues but are not by themselves proof of a fact. Because the rule requires admissible evidence, hearsay statements and personal memories without the proper record generally cannot support a motion for summary judgment. Thus, the listed sources together give the proper evidentiary basis for showing there is no genuine dispute.