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 April 2, Judge Lewis Liman in New York mostly granted — and in part denied — Baldoni and his codefendants' motion for summary judgment, a bid to avert a trial set to begin May 18. —Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2026

Judge Lewis Liman agreed with the majority of the arguments made by Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and others involved in the 2024 film in their motion for summary judgment. —Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 2 Apr. 2026

By then, the case had entered a final, arduous pretrial stage called summary judgment. —Joe Mahr, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026

The committee did not decide on summary judgment Thursday. —Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 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