No. 25-7374October Term 2025Petition PendingUpdated Sep 3, 2026
Steven Douglas Coleman v. Maria Kim Grand
Steven Douglas Coleman, Petitioner v. Maria Kim Grand
Steven Douglas Coleman asks the Supreme Court to review a Second Circuit decision granting summary judgment in a dispute involving statements that accused him of coerced and unwanted sexual conduct.
Case status
- Current stage
- Petition Pending
- Latest event
- Petition pending
- Next
- Awaiting an order on the petitionNo decision timeline until the Court agrees to hear the case.
- What it's about
Steven Douglas Coleman asks the Supreme Court to review a Second Circuit decision granting summary judgment in a dispute involving statements that accused him of coerced and unwanted sexual conduct. He argues that the lower courts improperly resolved factual disputes, disregarded evidence favorable to him, and treated the accusations as protected opinion rather than potentially actionable factual claims.
Question presented
1. Whether a court may grant summary judgment by resolving disputed material facts, disregarding contradictory sworn testimony from both parties and record evidence submitted by the non-moving party, while simultaneously asserting that no genuine dispute of material fact exists — contrary to this Court’s decisions in Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., Tolan v. Cotton, and Reeves v. Sanderson Plumbing Products, Inc. 2. Whether accusations alleging coerced and unwanted sexual conduct may be treated as nonactionable “opinion” under Milkovich v. Lorain Journal Co. when the accuser withholds material, known facts that directly contradict the factual premise of those accusations. 3. Whether a court of appeals exceeds its authority at the summary-judgment stage by rewriting the record, reinterpreting plain language, and relying on extra-record facts to resolve a disputed accusation of illegal conduct. 4. Whether persistent legal error — expressly identified with record citations in a petition for rehearing and rehearing en banc and left uncorrected — warrants this Court’s review to reaffirm settled constitutional and procedural limits on judicial factfinding.
- Case path
United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit / Petition pending
- Area
Petition for review pending
Briefing
What it's about
Steven Douglas Coleman asks the Supreme Court to review a Second Circuit case involving accusations of coerced and unwanted sexual conduct. He argues that the lower courts improperly resolved disputed facts at summary judgment (a pretrial decision without a trial) and wrongly treated the accusations as protected opinion.
Argument
The petition for certiorari (the Court's decision to hear a case) has been filed, and oral argument has not yet been scheduled.
Impact
The case could affect people bringing or defending claims based on contested accusations of illegal conduct. For example, it could shape whether a person can take a dispute to trial when the parties give conflicting sworn accounts.
What's next
Watch for a scheduling move, including whether the Court seeks a response or sets the petition for consideration. No decision window is available yet.
What is at stake in Coleman v. Grand?
The petition asks whether courts may resolve conflicting evidence before trial and label disputed accusations of illegal conduct as opinion.
Who could be affected by the Supreme Court's action in this case?
People in civil disputes involving conflicting sworn testimony and contested public accusations could be affected by any review of the lower court's approach.
What happens next in Coleman v. Grand?
The Court will decide whether to grant certiorari (agree to hear the case). Oral argument has not been scheduled.
Documents
Activity
Docket activity2
AI analysis generated: Case Briefing
Sep 3, 2026 | Generated
Brief added: Petition
Mar 6, 2026 | Court records
Related cases
Grounding
- Grounding
- Primary materials plus reporting.
- Note
- Best-effort analysis: this explainer relies on a mix of primary materials and trusted secondary sources. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.
- Checked
- Sep 3, 2026
- Method
- Methodology