summary judgment

American

[suhm-uh-ree juhj-muhnt] / ˈsʌm ə ri ˌdʒʌdʒ mənt /

noun

Law.

a judgment that is entered without the necessity of jury trial, as one based on affidavits that convince the court that there is no arguable issue.

The creditor filed a motion for summary judgment against the debtor.

Etymology

Origin of summary judgment

First recorded in 1795–1800

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

That trial — another bellwether involving a suit by Breathitt County School District in Kentucky — is now set to begin in San Francisco in June, after the judge denied companies’ motion for summary judgment.

From Los Angeles Times

The arguments heard were for summary judgment, which means both sides agree on the facts but disagree on how the law applies to those facts.

From Salon

Federal judges have granted three of the four firms summary judgment against the government; a judge’s ruling in the fourth case is pending.

From Los Angeles Times

In a judgment on Wednesday, Mr Justice Ritchie granted summary judgment in her favour, meaning she won her case without a trial.

From BBC

No. We did have an ongoing legal battle, but we had a summary judgment and the judge awarded us, in our favor, everything.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023