No. 25-7374October Term 2025Before Arguments
Steven Douglas Coleman, Petitioner v. Maria Kim Grand
from the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
Case status
- Current stage
- Before Arguments
- Latest event
- Accepted by the Court
- Decision timing
- No window until argument is scheduled.
- What it's about
from the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
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 / Accepted by the Court
- Area
Supreme Court case awaiting argument
Timing
Expected by late June 2026, if argued this term
The Court granted review but has not yet scheduled oral argument. Once argued, the median case reaches a decision in 94 days. Nearly all cases are decided by the end of the term in which they are argued.
Briefing
What it's about
This case asks the Supreme Court to review a Second Circuit decision in a dispute over accusations of coerced and unwanted sexual conduct. The petition says lower courts wrongly ended the case at summary judgment (a ruling that ends a case without a trial) by deciding contested facts, ignoring sworn testimony and record evidence, and treating the accusations as protected opinion.
Argument
No oral argument is scheduled. The petition argues that the lower courts rewrote the record, resolved factual disputes, and relied on facts outside the record when deciding whether the case should end without a trial.
Impact
The case could shape how courts handle cases when both sides give conflicting sworn accounts. For someone facing serious accusations, that can decide whether a jury hears the dispute or a judge ends it early.
What is Coleman v. Grand about?
This petition asks whether lower courts can end a case at summary judgment, meaning without a trial, by choosing between conflicting sworn accounts. It also questions whether accusations of coerced and unwanted sexual conduct can be treated as protected opinion.
Who could be affected by Coleman v. Grand?
People in cases with sharply disputed facts could be affected, especially in cases involving accusations of illegal conduct. The Court could clarify when judges must let juries, not judges, sort out those facts.
What happens next in Steven Douglas Coleman v. Maria Kim Grand?
The justices will decide whether to grant certiorari (agree to hear the case). No oral argument is scheduled yet, and no decision window is available.
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
- Jul 23, 2026
- Method
- Methodology