summary judgment

noun

|Updated on: 27 Jul 2018

Definition of summary judgment

: 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

Recent Examples of summary judgment from the Web

The judge granted summary judgment to the Office for Civil Rights.

— jenny deam, Houston Chronicle, "MD Anderson to pay $4.3 million penalty for data breach," 19 June 2018
On the other hand, in a Feb. 13, 2017 order denying Armstrong summary judgment, Judge Cooper identified a potential flaw in Armstrong’s reasoning on damages.

— michael mccann, SI.com, "Was It the Right Decision for Lance Armstrong to Settle in His Lawsuit With the U.S. Government?," 21 Apr. 2018
But before that, the plaintiffs plan to seek summary judgment.

— nick anderson, Washington Post, "How to protect Harvard admission secrets? Judge says it’s like shielding ‘recipe for Coke.’," 10 Apr. 2018
O'Donnell granted the motion for summary judgment one day after another school shooting that garnered national attention.

— evan macdonald, cleveland.com, "Chardon administrators not liable for students' deaths in 2012 high school shooting, judge rules," 16 Feb. 2018
San Diego Superior Court Judge Randa Trapp granted the city’s motion for summary judgment in early June and signed the final judgment Tuesday.

— karen kucher, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Landlords where illegal dispensary operated ordered to pay $388,000," 26 June 2018
Texas asked for summary judgment, but the FDA dragged its feet, asking for more time before a court eventually stayed the case in December.

— keri blakinger, Houston Chronicle, "Media outlets fight to keep lethal injection court hearing open to public," 15 June 2018
Middlesex Superior Court Judge William Ritter’s decision to deny motions for summary judgment means a jury will decide if Panera and the owner of its Natick franchise should be held liable for a number of civil claims, including assault and battery.

— neil swidey, BostonGlobe.com, "Judge rules to send Panera peanut allergy case to jury," 15 June 2018
Both sides filed papers Friday asking for summary judgment, an immediate ruling in their favor.

— anemona hartocollis, New York Times, "Harvard Rated Asian-American Applicants Lower on Personality Traits, Suit Says," 15 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'summary judgment.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of summary judgment

1798

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

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