Before JONES, SMITH, and HAYNES, Circuit Judges. EDITH H. JONES, Circuit Judge: Keen Group Solutions, L.L.C. (“KGS”) appeals from an order denying its motion for satisfaction of judgment pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. Pro. 60(b)(5) and granting Appellees’ order to compel post-judgment discovery. Because this court lacks appellate jurisdiction, we DISMISS. BACKGROUND BillCutterz, L.L.C. (“BillCutterz”) and Keen Group Solutions, L.L.C. (“KGS”) are in the “bill reduction business.” Barry Gross is the President and sole member of BillCutterz. In January 2015, KGS and BillCutterz entered into a License Agreement providing KGS with a license to offer and sell BillCutterz’s services and intellectual property to KGS clients. Three features of the License Agreement are relevant here. The parties agreed to arbitrate their disputes. The Agreement’s compensation clause entitles BillCutterz to royalties and commissions calculated as a percentage of KGS’s revenue. The third embodies the term of the Agreement, providing that it automatically renews for successive five-year periods until “terminated by either Party for ’cause.’” The “for cause” conditions are enumerated. In 2017, a dispute arose regarding unpaid commissions and royalties. BillCutterz won the dispute in arbitration. The arbitrator ordered KGS to pay BillCutterz all unpaid commissions and royalties through December 31, 2017, and all royalties and commissions from January 1, 2018 “for the duration of the License Agreement.” In other words, the arbitration award provided both retrospective relief (relief through December 31, 2017) and prospective relief (relief from January 1, 2018 “for the duration of the License Agreement”). BillCutterz filed suit in district court seeking confirmation of the arbitration award. KGS moved to dismiss the petition and vacate or modify the arbitration award. The district court denied both of KGS’s requests with a reasoned opinion and entered a final judgment confirming the arbitration award in all respects. KGS continued to resist this outcome by filing numerous unsuccessful motions and an unsuccessful appeal to this court pertaining to the arbitration award. After a long battle, KGS finally acquiesced and paid the retrospective relief and at least part of the prospective relief (through December 6, 2018). The parties continued to disagree, however, whether this payment satisfied KGS’s liability in full, or whether there was unsatisfied liability regarding the prospective relief—specifically, whether the arbitration award’s order entitles BillCutterz to ongoing compensation under the License Agreement and whether KGS incurred (and perhaps diverted) revenue after December 6, 2018. KGS filed a Rule 60(b)(5) motion seeking relief from the judgment on the basis that it had satisfied the judgment in full.[1] KGS argued that it fully satisfied all obligations under the License Agreement through December 6, 2018 and that it ceased operating on December 6, 2018. Further, with no more revenue coming in, KGS had purported to terminate the License Agreement by providing written notice to KGS.[2] KGS contended that its conclusory assertions about ceasing operations and terminating the License Agreement entitled it to an order of satisfaction of judgment. KGS additionally sought “protection” from post-judgment discovery under Rule 26(c). If granted, this request would have thwarted BillCutterz’s repeated attempts to obtain discovery regarding the circumstances around asset transfers made by KGS and whether, by virtue of such transfers, KGS was functionally still in business. BillCutterz vigorously opposed the Rule 60(b)(5) motion and moved to compel discovery. It disagreed that KGS could unilaterally terminate the License Agreement and argued that the judgment had not been satisfied because no royalties were paid after December 6, 2018. BillCutterz denied that KGS went out of business, expressing suspicion that KGS was fraudulently attempting to circumvent its obligations under the License Agreement. Specifically, it suspected that KGS was still operating and earning revenue under another trade name. Rather than simply providing the repeatedly requested discovery, KGS asked the district court to assume KGS’s conclusions, reject BillCutterz’s suspicions out of hand, and grant its Rule 60(b)(5) motion. The district court refused KGS relief.[3] In a short order, the court denied KGS’s motion for relief from judgment and granted BillCutterz’s motion to compel discovery. KGS appealed. DISCUSSION Before this court may reach the merits of an appeal, it has an independent duty to evaluate appellate jurisdiction. FW/PBS, Inc. v. City of Dallas, 493 U.S. 215, 231, 110 S. Ct. 596, 607 (1990). Both parties argue that the district court’s order is appealable, but they are incorrect. The district court’s order is not a final judgment within the meaning of 28 U.S.C. § 1291. “For purposes of Section 1291 a decision is final only if it ‘ends the litigation on the merits and leaves nothing for the court to do but execute the judgment.’” Cook v. City of Tyler, Texas, 974 F.3d 537, 539 (5th Cir. 2020) (quoting Sealed Appellant 1 v. Sealed Appellee, 199 F.3d 276, 278 (5th Cir. 2000)). The district court here still has a number of issues to resolve before it can order or deny execution of judgment, as evidenced by the very order challenged by KGS, which mandated further discovery. This appeal is premature. Most of the time, to be sure, Rule 60(b) orders denying relief are final and appealable because “Rule 60(b) motions ordinarily are made only after the district court has disposed completely of the subject litigation.” Kerwit Med. Prod., Inc. v. N. & H. Instruments, Inc., 616 F.2d 833, 836 (5th Cir. 1980); Woodham v. Am. Cystoscope Co. of Pelham, N.Y., 335 F.2d 551, 554 (5th Cir. 1964). But this is not so when unresolved matters remain pending in the district court. Kerwit, 616 F.2d at 835–36 (holding that an ongoing contempt proceeding rendered the denial of the Rule 60(b) motion non-final). Where there is no “effective termination[] of district-court proceedings,” a denial of a Rule 60(b) motion is not final for purposes of 28 U.S.C. § 1291. Id. at 835.[4] The same logic applies to grants of Rule 60(b) motions, which are also considered interlocutory and non-appealable. See, e.g., Parks By & Through Parks v. Collins, 761 F.2d 1101, 1104 (5th Cir. 1985) (recognizing that such an order “merely vacates the judgment and leaves the case pending for further determination” and thus “the order is akin to an order granting a new trial and is interlocutory and nonappealable” (internal quotations omitted)). The district court’s order denying relief under Rule 60(b)(5) and compelling discovery impliedly acknowledged a number of factual and legal contentions yet to be decided. These include the effectiveness of KGS’s purported termination of the License Agreement; whether KGS did in fact cease operating, and, if so, when; and whether KGS transferred assets into other entities to avoid this judgment. KGS asks us to decide these issues on a record that is barren because KGS has consistently avoided discovery of disputed facts. It is not our role to find facts on appeal, especially under the circumstances presented here. The parties suggest that the district court’s challenged order is “final” because it issued another order stating that “[t]he case is on appeal and has been closed.” But this order indicates nothing more than an administrative closure. It is well established that administrative closures cannot serve as the basis for appellate jurisdiction. See Psara Energy, Ltd. v. Advantage Arrow Shipping, L.L.C., 946 F.3d 803, 808 (5th Cir. 2020) (“The effect of an administrative closure is no different from a simple stay, which district courts often use to remove from their pending cases suits which are temporarily active elsewhere . . . . The court’s order staying and administratively closing the case . . . was nonfinal for purposes of appellate review.” (quotations omitted)); Mire v. Full Spectrum Lending Inc., 389 F.3d 163, 167 (5th Cir. 2004); S. Louisiana Cement, Inc. v. Van Aalst Bulk Handling, B.V., 383 F.3d 297, 302 (5th Cir. 2004).[5] In sum, pending discovery and adjudication based on such discovery of whether KGS has fully satisfied the arbitration award, there is no final judgment for this court to consider. Indeed, this is the type of “piecemeal . . . appeal[]” that “ undermines efficient judicial administration and encroaches upon the prerogatives of district court judges, who play a special role in managing ongoing litigation.” Mohawk Indus., Inc. v. Carpenter, 558 U.S. 100, 106, 130 S. Ct. 599, 605 (2009). For the foregoing reasons, we DISMISS. HAYNES, Circuit Judge, dissenting: I respectfully dissent. The majority opinion concludes that we lack appellate jurisdiction to decide this case because the district court’s order was not a final judgment under 28 U.S.C. § 1291.[6] However, the district court obviously thought it had sufficient information to deny the Rule 60(b) motion, therefore it must have concluded that KGS had not satisfied the judgment. That determination itself is a final judgment.[7] The mere fact that additional discovery may be ordered does not, without more explanation, undermine or impair this final judgment.[8] Because the majority opinion reaches a contrary conclusion, I respectfully dissent.
