What cannot be relied on to satisfy the SJ burden?

What cannot be relied on to satisfy the SJ burden?

• A. Pleadings alone are sufficient
• B. Only expert testimony is required
• C. In seeking SJ, a party cannot rely solely on the pleadings and must produce supporting materials.
• D. Only a deposition is required

Answer: (C)

When evaluating a summary judgment motion, the essential idea is that there must be no genuine dispute about any material fact, and the moving party must back that up with admissible evidence beyond the complaint. Pleadings alone are not evidence of what actually happened, so they cannot satisfy the burden. You need supporting materials—affidavits or declarations, deposition transcripts, admissions, and documentary exhibits—to show that every material fact is undisputed. Because of that, relying solely on the pleadings fails to carry the motion. Others sometimes suggest that expert testimony alone can decide the issue or that a single deposition suffices. Those ideas miss the rule that the court must see a complete evidentiary record demonstrating no genuine fact dispute. A deposition or any single type of evidence by itself does not automatically prove there are no material facts in dispute; you need a broader set of admissible materials to establish entitlement to judgment as a matter of law.

When evaluating a summary judgment motion, the essential idea is that there must be no genuine dispute about any material fact, and the moving party must back that up with admissible evidence beyond the complaint. Pleadings alone are not evidence of what actually happened, so they cannot satisfy the burden. You need supporting materials—affidavits or declarations, deposition transcripts, admissions, and documentary exhibits—to show that every material fact is undisputed. Because of that, relying solely on the pleadings fails to carry the motion.

Others sometimes suggest that expert testimony alone can decide the issue or that a single deposition suffices. Those ideas miss the rule that the court must see a complete evidentiary record demonstrating no genuine fact dispute. A deposition or any single type of evidence by itself does not automatically prove there are no material facts in dispute; you need a broader set of admissible materials to establish entitlement to judgment as a matter of law.