Define: Summary Judgment

Summary Judgment
Summary Judgment
Quick Summary of Summary Judgment

When a party requests a court to make a decision based on the facts of a case, summary judgement may be granted by the judge without a full trial. This occurs when the judge determines that there are no significant facts in dispute, resulting in the winning party being granted victory without the need for a trial.

Full Definition Of Summary Judgment

Summary judgement is a legal decision made by a court without a full trial, where one party is favored over another. In civil cases, either party can request a pre-trial motion for summary judgement, which means they are asking the court to make a decision without going through a full trial. To succeed in a motion for summary judgement, the requesting party must demonstrate that there is no genuine dispute about any material fact and that they are entitled to judgement as a matter of law. Material facts are those that could influence a fact-finder to rule against the requesting party. For instance, in a car accident case, the defendant may request summary judgement if they believe there is no dispute about who caused the accident. If the judge agrees, they will enter a judgement in favor of the defendant without a full trial. Judges may also grant partial summary judgement, ruling on some factual issues while leaving others for trial. When considering a motion for summary judgement, the judge will view all evidence in the light most favorable to the opposing party. If the motion is granted, there will be no trial, and the judge will immediately enter judgement for the requesting party. For more information on summary judgement, you can refer to the Florida State University Law Review article, the New York Law Journal article, and the Oklahoma City University Law Review article.

Summary Judgment FAQ'S

Summary judgment is a legal procedure used to quickly and efficiently resolve a case without the need for a full trial. It allows a judge to make a decision based on the evidence presented, without the need for a jury.

Summary judgment can be granted when there is no genuine dispute of material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. In other words, if the evidence shows that there is no real issue to be tried, the judge can grant summary judgment.

The standard for granting summary judgment is whether the moving party has shown that there is no genuine dispute of material fact and that they are entitled to judgment as a matter of law. The evidence must be viewed in the light most favorable to the non-moving party.

In a summary judgment motion, the court will consider all evidence submitted by the parties, including affidavits, depositions, and other documents. The court will also consider any relevant legal arguments presented by the parties.

Yes, a summary judgment can be appealed to a higher court if the party that lost the motion believes that the judge made an error in granting summary judgment.

Seeking summary judgment can save time and money by avoiding a full trial. It can also provide a quicker resolution to a case.

The main drawback of seeking summary judgment is that if the motion is denied, the case will proceed to trial, which can be costly and time-consuming.

Yes, summary judgment can be granted in a criminal case if the evidence shows that there is no genuine dispute of material fact and the defendant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.

A party can request summary judgment at any time after the close of discovery, but before trial. However, the court may set a deadline for filing summary judgment motions.

To prepare for a summary judgment motion, it is important to gather and present all relevant evidence and legal arguments to support your position. It may also be helpful to consult with an experienced attorney to ensure that your motion is properly prepared and presented.

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Disclaimer

This site contains general legal information but does not constitute professional legal advice for your particular situation. Persuing this glossary does not create an attorney-client or legal adviser relationship. If you have specific questions, please consult a qualified attorney licensed in your jurisdiction.

This glossary post was last updated: 17th April 2024.

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  • Page URL:https://dlssolicitors.com/define/summary-judgement/
  • Modern Language Association (MLA):Summary Judgment. dlssolicitors.com. DLS Solicitors. May 02 2024 https://dlssolicitors.com/define/summary-judgement/.
  • Chicago Manual of Style (CMS):Summary Judgment. dlssolicitors.com. DLS Solicitors. https://dlssolicitors.com/define/summary-judgement/ (accessed: May 02 2024).
  • American Psychological Association (APA):Summary Judgment. dlssolicitors.com. Retrieved May 02 2024, from dlssolicitors.com website: https://dlssolicitors.com/define/summary-judgement/

Define: Summary Judgement

Summary Judgement
Summary Judgement
Quick Summary of Summary Judgement

A final decision by a judge that resolves a lawsuit in favour of one of the parties. A motion for summary judgement is made after discovery is completed but before the case goes to trial. The party making the motion marshals all the evidence in its favour compares it to the other side’s evidence, and argues that a reasonable jury looking at the same evidence could only decide the case one way- for the moving party. If the judge agrees, then a trial would be unnecessary and the judge enters judgement for the moving party.

Full Definition Of Summary Judgement

A summary judgement is a decision made by the court based on the presented evidence without the case going to trial. Summary judgements are made if there is no genuine issue of material fact that would make a trial necessary, the party making the Motion for Summary Judgment is entitled to judgement under the law and the evidence demonstrates that “reasonable minds” could only find in favour of the party making the Motion for Summary Judgment.

The court will not make a Motion for Summary Judgement if there are issues which need to be heard through the trial process. To make this decision the judge views the evidence (pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, written admissions, affidavits, transcripts of evidence) in a way that is most favourable to the party that has not asked for Summary Judgement. Motion for Summary Judgements must be filed within a specified time period before a trial start date. Once the motion is filed, the other side has 14 days to respond to the Motion for Summary Judgement. Failure to respond will allow the court to rule in favour of the motion.

Related Phrases
No related content found.
Disclaimer

This site contains general legal information but does not constitute professional legal advice for your particular situation. Persuing this glossary does not create an attorney-client or legal adviser relationship. If you have specific questions, please consult a qualified attorney licensed in your jurisdiction.

This glossary post was last updated: 29th March 2024.

Cite Term

To help you cite our definitions in your bibliography, here is the proper citation layout for the three major formatting styles, with all of the relevant information filled in.

  • Page URL:https://dlssolicitors.com/define/summary-judgement/
  • Modern Language Association (MLA):Summary Judgement. dlssolicitors.com. DLS Solicitors. May 02 2024 https://dlssolicitors.com/define/summary-judgement/.
  • Chicago Manual of Style (CMS):Summary Judgement. dlssolicitors.com. DLS Solicitors. https://dlssolicitors.com/define/summary-judgement/ (accessed: May 02 2024).
  • American Psychological Association (APA):Summary Judgement. dlssolicitors.com. Retrieved May 02 2024, from dlssolicitors.com website: https://dlssolicitors.com/define/summary-judgement/