State Court Motion for Summary Judgment
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IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE
[CIVIL DIVISION]


[PLAINTIFF NAME],
Plaintiff,

v. C.A. No. [_]

[DEFENDANT NAME],
Defendant.


DEFENDANT’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

[// GUIDANCE: The caption should match the style used by the assigned court (e.g., “Complex Commercial Litigation Division,” “Kent County,” etc.).]


NOTICE OF MOTION

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that, pursuant to Superior Court Civil Rule 56, Defendant [DEFENDANT NAME] (“Defendant”) moves this Court for entry of Summary Judgment in its favor on all claims asserted by Plaintiff [PLAINTIFF NAME] (“Plaintiff”).

A hearing on this Motion is requested at the Court’s earliest convenience.

Dated: [DATE]       Respectfully submitted,

[LAW FIRM NAME]
By: /s/ [COUNSEL NAME]
[COUNSEL NAME] (Bar No. [______])
[ADDRESS | PHONE | EMAIL]

Counsel for Defendant [DEFENDANT NAME]


MOTION

Defendant, by and through undersigned counsel, hereby moves for summary judgment pursuant to Superior Court Civil Rule 56 on the grounds that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and Defendant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. The bases for this Motion are set forth in the accompanying:

  1. Opening Brief in Support of Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment (“Opening Brief”);
  2. Statement of Undisputed Material Facts (“SUMF”);
  3. Appendix of Exhibits (“Appendix”); and
  4. Proposed Order.

[PROPOSED] ORDER

[COURT HEADER – SAME AS CAPTION ABOVE]

AND NOW, this ___ day of ____, 20__, upon consideration of Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment, the pleadings, and all papers filed in connection therewith, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that:

  1. Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment is GRANTED; and
  2. Judgment is hereby ENTERED in favor of Defendant and against Plaintiff on all claims.

SO ORDERED:


J. [JUDGE NAME]


OPENING BRIEF IN SUPPORT OF DEFENDANT’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

[// GUIDANCE: Delaware practice combines the motion and the opening brief unless local scheduling orders dictate otherwise.]

TABLE OF CONTENTS

  1. Nature and Stage of the Proceedings................................................. [page]
  2. Statement of Issues Presented................................................................ [page]
  3. Statement of Undisputed Material Facts................................................ [page]
  4. Standard of Review.............................................................................. [page]
  5. Argument.............................................................................................. [page]
    5.1 Point I: [Specify legal point]....................................................... [page]
    5.2 Point II: [Specify legal point]...................................................... [page]
  6. Conclusion............................................................................................. [page]
  7. Word Count Certification........................................................................ [page]

[// GUIDANCE: Add a Table of Authorities if the brief will cite cases or statutes.]


1. Nature and Stage of the Proceedings

[Provide a concise procedural history, including filings, prior motions, and any scheduling orders.]

2. Statement of Issues Presented

  1. Whether Defendant is entitled to summary judgment because [insert narrowly framed legal issue].
  2. Whether Plaintiff has failed to produce admissible evidence creating a genuine dispute of material fact on [insert claim/element].

3. Statement of Undisputed Material Facts

This Statement incorporates by reference Defendant’s separately filed SUMF pursuant to Del. Super. Ct. Civ. R. 56(c). Citations to the evidentiary record appear parenthetically.

[// GUIDANCE: Cite to deposition transcripts, documents, admissions, or affidavits included in the Appendix—e.g., “(Smith Dep. 45:5-15, A___).”]

4. Standard of Review

Summary judgment shall be granted when “there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and … the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law.” Del. Super. Ct. Civ. R. 56(c). The movant bears the initial burden of demonstrating the absence of a material factual dispute; the burden then shifts to the non-movant to produce admissible evidence showing a genuine issue for trial. The Court views the record in the light most favorable to the non-moving party, but “bare assertions, conclusory allegations or suspicions are insufficient” to avoid summary judgment. Id.

[// GUIDANCE: Although Delaware briefs routinely cite controlling precedent, omit case citations here if unsure. Insert bracketed placeholders if the drafter intends to supply case law.]

5. Argument

5.1 Point I – [Insert Title of Legal Argument]

A. Legal Standard
[Explain the element(s) Plaintiff must prove.]

B. Application to Undisputed Facts
[Show how each element fails or is negated by undisputed facts.]

5.2 Point II – [Insert Title of Additional Argument, if any]

[Repeat structure as needed.]

[// GUIDANCE: For each count, track statutory or common-law elements and tie them expressly to paragraphs in the SUMF.]

6. Conclusion

For the foregoing reasons, Defendant respectfully requests that the Court GRANT this Motion and enter judgment in Defendant’s favor on all claims.


STATEMENT OF UNDISPUTED MATERIAL FACTS

[Pursuant to Del. Super. Ct. Civ. R. 56(c)]

  1. [Fact 1] (Citation).
  2. [Fact 2] (Citation).

    n. [Fact n] (Citation).

[// GUIDANCE: Each fact should be concise, numbered, and supported by pinpoint citations to the Appendix.]


APPENDIX OF EXHIBITS

A. [Ex. 1 – Description]
B. [Ex. 2 – Description]

[// GUIDANCE: Bates-stamp exhibits and provide an index at the front of the Appendix to facilitate court review.]


WORD COUNT CERTIFICATION

I hereby certify that this brief complies with the [Court-specific] word or page limitations set forth in [Local Rule or Scheduling Order], containing [_] words (as counted by [software]).

/s/ [COUNSEL NAME]
[Date]


RULE 11 SIGNATURE BLOCK

Pursuant to Delaware Superior Court Civil Rule 11, the undersigned counsel certifies that the foregoing Motion and Brief are presented for the proper purpose of obtaining the relief requested, are warranted by existing law (or a non-frivolous extension thereof), and that factual contentions have evidentiary support.

/s/ [COUNSEL NAME]
[Date]


CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

I hereby certify that on [DATE], a true and correct copy of the foregoing Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment, Opening Brief, Statement of Undisputed Material Facts, and Appendix of Exhibits was served upon the following counsel of record via [electronic filing / hand delivery / email] in accordance with the Court’s rules:

[Opposing Counsel Name & Address]

/s/ [COUNSEL NAME]


[OPTIONAL] SCHEDULING ORDER COMPLIANCE STATEMENT

[// GUIDANCE: Include if the Scheduling Order requires a statement of compliance with briefing schedule or oral argument request.]


PRACTICAL CHECKLIST

[// GUIDANCE: Remove before filing]
☐ Confirm page / word limits under Superior Court Civil Rule 171 or the Court’s Standing Order.
☐ Ensure SUMF citations correspond to Appendix page numbers.
☐ Verify service method satisfies Rule 5 and any e-file requirements.
☐ Attach a proposed form of Order as a separate, editable document if required.
☐ Reserve hearing date or file a Notice of Motion pursuant to local practice.


[// GUIDANCE: This template conforms to Delaware Superior Court practice. For the Court of Chancery, replace procedural rule citations with Ct. Ch. R. 56 and adjust caption, content, and page limits accordingly.]

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