RONALD L. BUCKWALTER District Judge.
Currently pending before the Court is the Motion for Reconsideration
The factual background of this case is one familiar to all relevant parties and the Court, and is detailed in the Court's September 21, 2015 Memorandum Opinion granting summary judgment to Defendant Amtrak ("the Memorandum Opinion").
Defendant filed a Motion for Summary Judgment on June 4, 2015, in which it argued that it was entitled to summary judgment on Plaintiffs' claims that Defendant's negligence caused their property to be burglarized by a third party. Specifically, Defendant argued that it did not owe Plaintiffs a duty of care under federal, Pennsylvania, or common law, and that the burglaries were not reasonably foreseeable. Plaintiffs filed a Response in Opposition on June 17, 2015, in which they argued that the burglaries were probable and that Defendant was obligated to protect their property. On September 21, 2015, the Court entered a Memorandum Opinion granting Defendant's Motion for Summary Judgment. In that Opinion, the Court reasoned that Defendant showed there was no genuine dispute as to any material fact and found that Defendant was entitled to judgment as a matter of law as to the entirety of Plaintiffs' Complaint.
Plaintiffs filed the present Motion for Reconsideration on October 1, 2015, asserting that there are problems with statements of fact and the Court's application of the summary judgment standard of review in the Memorandum Opinion. (
"`The scope of a motion for reconsideration . . . is extremely limited.'"
Motions for reconsideration are granted sparingly.
In their Motion for Reconsideration, Plaintiffs assert that the Court relied on misstatements of fact and incorrectly applied the summary judgment standard of review. The Court will address each of these arguments in turn.
Plaintiffs first dispute the Memorandum Opinion's reference to the burglary dates that Phillip Chartock testified to in his deposition. According to Plaintiffs, "[w]hile the fact witnesses may have been confused or not sure of the actual dates the police incident report clearly shows that the first break-in occurred November 15, 2012." (Pls.' Mot. Reconsideration 2.) It should first be noted that, according to the police incident report, it was the third and final break-in that occurred on November 15, and that it occurred in 2013, not 2012. (
Plaintiffs argue that the date of the first burglary in the police report, rather than the date Phillip Chartock testified to in his deposition, indicates that Defendant "had 8 days between the first two break-ins to take action (i.e.) to investigate the first break-in, increase patrols to prevent the second break-in[,]" rather than two days as indicated in the Memorandum Opinion. (Pls.' Mot. Reconsideration 3.) Defendant argues that the police report "is hearsay and of no evidentiary consequence" and that, while Plaintiffs may view the contradiction in dates as "confusion," "a witness'[s] contradictory statements cannot serve to create a genuine issue of material fact sufficient to defeat summary judgment." (Def.'s Resp. Opp'n Mot. Reconsideration 1-2.)
More importantly, however, it is not the number of days between break-ins that entitled Defendant to summary judgment on Plaintiffs' negligence claim. As discussed in the Memorandum Opinion, it was not probable, and therefore not reasonably foreseeable, that any of the burglaries would occur. Thus, Defendant did not owe Plaintiffs a duty of care under Pennsylvania law. Furthermore, as the Court discussed in the Memorandum Opinion, even if Defendant had owed Plaintiffs a duty of care, Defendant was not negligent in its conduct towards Plaintiffs such that Defendant could be found liable for the criminal conduct of a third party. These findings are not impacted by a discrepancy in the date of the second burglary, or the Memorandum Opinion's inclusion of a date testified to by Phillip Chartock instead of the date relayed to the police officers who prepared the police report on the date of the third burglary. Thus, Plaintiffs have not established one of the three grounds for reconsideration on this issue, and therefore the Court declines to reconsider its findings regarding duty of care.
Plaintiffs next challenge the Court's discussion of "the issue of control and ownership of the outer side of the wall." Plaintiffs dispute the deposition testimony of James Shomper, an employee in Defendant's real estate department, in which he stated that the railroad right of way pre-existed Plaintiffs' building, because according to Plaintiffs "the building was built in the 1850's to 1860's and Amtrak did not come into existence until the 20th Century." (Pls.' Mot. Reconsideration 3 (citing Def.'s Mot. Summ. J. Ex. J, Deposition of James Shomper, Feb. 3, 2015 ("Shomper Dep.") 22:16-23:7).) Plaintiffs assert that they "produced into discovery numerous surveys, deeds, charts, etc." (Pls.' Mot. Reconsideration 3.) If that is the case, Plaintiffs neglected to attach any such documents as exhibits to their Response in Opposition to Defendant's Motion for Summary Judgment. In their Motion for Reconsideration, Plaintiffs cite, for the first time, a portion of Louis Chartock's deposition testimony which "indicate[s] that Louis Chartock had personal knowledge that the building formerly known as Fletcher Works had been built in the 1850s, years before Amtrak came into existence."
Plaintiffs also reassert Louis Chartock's belief that Mr. Shomper told him that the "ownership line" ran through the middle of the wall of Plaintiffs' building, and that it was a party wall. (Pls.' Mot. Reconsideration 3.) The Court included citations to Louis Chartock's testimony on that issue in the recitation of facts in the Memorandum Opinion, which conflicted with Mr. Shomper's deposition testimony that the deed and survey Louis Chartock obtained did not show ownership of the wall on Defendant's part.
In the section of their Motion for Reconsideration regarding the outer wall, Plaintiffs make no argument that any of the grounds for granting such a motion are present. Instead, Plaintiffs merely describe testimony that the Court already considered and included in the Memorandum Opinion. Accordingly, the Court declines to reconsider its findings regarding Plaintiffs' wall.
Plaintiffs state that they "have no disagreement with the recitation of F.R.C.P 56(c)(2) which allows for Summary Judgment if there are `no genuine issues' as to any material fact[]" but that "[o]bviously the Plaintiffs feel that there are many issues of material fact that should be decided by a jury." (Pls.' Mot. Reconsideration 4.) As discussed below, however, the "issues of material fact" identified by Plaintiffs are actually questions of law. Nonetheless, the Court will briefly re-explain the basis for its findings in the Memorandum Opinion regarding the issues re-raised by Plaintiffs.
In the Motion for Reconsideration, Plaintiffs assert that "the Court felt that the Plaintiff failed to establish that the Defendant owed a duty of care resulting in injury to the Plaintiffs." (
Plaintiffs also state that the "Court next point[ed] out that according to Amtrak they only have a duty to police the property of Amtrak and its employee [sic], 49 USC Section 28101."
Plaintiffs next assert that the deposition testimony of two Amtrak employees, who are incorrectly referred to in Plaintiffs' Motion for Reconsideration as "Defendants," "clearly shows that, in the day-to-day operations, an Amtrak police offer as [sic] the right to act as Philadelphia Police Officer if they see a crime being committed on adjacent property." (Pls.' Mot. Reconsideration 4.) Plaintiffs argue that "[t]his is an issue to be decided by a jury despite the language of the aforementioned statute as though cited Philadelphia statutes this Court has been positioned." (
Finally, Plaintiffs argue that "[t]he Court feels that Amtrak personnel can only act on their own property but, once again isn't that a question for the jury indicates that the Defendant knew that a 3
Plaintiffs inaccurately assert that "[h]owever despite the Chartock's actual dates of burglaries, it is clear that Amtrak was notified after the first burglary and did nothing." (Pls.' Mot. Reconsideration 5.) When Phillip Chartock called McBride after the first break-in, McBride did not "do nothing" but instead advised him to contact the Philadelphia Police Department.
All of Plaintiffs' arguments under the "Standard of Review" section heading of their Motion for Reconsideration were previously considered and discussed by the Court in the Memorandum Opinion regarding summary judgment. As stated above, the grant of a motion for reconsideration is improper where it simply asks the court to "rethink what [it] had already thought through—rightly or wrongly."
Based on the above discussion, the Court declines to reconsider the holding of its prior September 21, 2015 Memorandum Opinion granting summary judgment to Defendant. Accordingly, Plaintiffs' Motion for Reconsideration is denied.
Previously, the Court had only been presented with Plaintiffs' assertion that "[r]esearch has shown that the building was built in the 1850s" which was not supported by any citation to an exhibit or deposition testimony. (