summary judgment

noun

: judgment that may be granted upon a party's motion when the pleadings, discovery, and any affidavits show that there is no issue of material fact and that the party is entitled to judgment in its favor as a matter of law

Examples of summary judgment in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

On Friday, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge denied a summary judgment motion requested by the film producers Rust Movie Productions LLC, as well as actor/producer Baldwin and his firm El Dorado Pictures to dismiss the case. —Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2026

In a summary judgment ruling on Friday, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Maurice Leiter allowed the case to proceed to trial. —Gene Maddaus, Variety, 17 Apr. 2026

In at least three cases, a federal judge has granted summary judgment in favor of Abbott — ruling for the company before the lawsuits even reached trial. —David Hilzenrath, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2026

Lawyers for the city filed what’s called a motion for summary judgment, arguing in effect that the claim was so weak it should not be permitted to move to trial. —Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1798, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for summary judgment

• judgement
• misjudgment
• prejudgment

Legal Definition

summary judgment

see also:

judgment sense 1a