Noun: summary judgment
- (law) a judgment rendered by the court prior to a verdict because no material issue of fact exists and one party or the other is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law
"The defendant's motion for summary judgment was granted, avoiding a lengthy trial";
- summary judgement, judgment on the pleadings, judgement on the pleadings
Derived forms: summary judgments
Type of: judgement, judgment, judicial decision
Encyclopedia: Summary judgment