Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
summary judgment

summary judgment

10 6.7
A court decision without a full trial when the facts are not in doubt
  • noun
  • /ˈsʌməri ˈdʒʌdʒmənt/
  • Formal
translation icon : sentencia sumaria
  • The District Court granted summary judgment to the Trust, ruling that Market Street's behavior violated a good faith contractual requirement.
  • summary judgment motion
  • defendant's summary judgment
  • grant summary judgment

And it sucks when the judge grants summary judgment against you.

Examples

  • The trial court denied the Cooperative's motion for summary judgment, ruling that the Cooperative was not protected by immunity.

    Academic text (2015)

  • The court then affirmed the Board's decision to grant summary judgment for the government.

    Academic text (2017)

  • The federal district court granted summary judgment on March 30, 2012.

    Academic text (2017)

  • But most SEC cases decided by a judge are resolved by summary judgment.

    Academic text (2017)

  • The Court of Appeals thus concluded that a summary judgment should have been granted to the United Baptist Church.

    Academic text (1999)

  • On remand, the government moved for summary judgment for failure to show damages.

    Academic text (2017)

  • First, sometimes the reason that the SEC prevails at summary judgment is that the defendant is fighting a losing battle.

    Academic text (2017)

  • The Mendocino County Superior Court entered summary judgment for the state, but the California Supreme Court reversed.

    Academic text (1992)

  • The SEC prevails in over 96% of court cases decided by summary judgment and in 100% of ALJ summary dispositions.

    Academic text (2017)

  • The federal district court granted summary judgment due to the lack of disputed facts in the case.

Synonyms

judgment on the pleadings
vssummary judgment
  • Formal
1 9.9

A court decision before a trial made only from written statements when the main facts are agreed

is not limited to written statements and can rely on broader record
judgment of dismissal
vssummary judgment
  • Formal
8.3

A court decision that ends a case without a trial

focuses on situations with no disputed facts rather than only ending the case

How Formal

military commission
  • Formal
14 6.0
court-martial
  • Specialized
56 7.4
summary judgment
  • Formal
10 6.7
reprimand
  • Formal
24 6.1

Surface Forms

summary judgment singular
summary judgments plural

Morphology

summary + judgment

The noun combines 'summary' (quick, bypassing procedures) with 'judgment' (a court decision), so a learner who knows both words can infer it refers to a quick or expedited court decision. However, the specific legal procedural meaning — a decision entered without a full trial because there are no disputed facts — is a technical nuance not fully predictable from the constituents alone, making the expression only partially transparent to B1 learners.

Etymology

Summary judgment comes from the idea of a quick decision; summary here means 'quick' or 'without a full trial' and judgment is the court's decision, so a summary judgment is a judge's fast ruling made when there are no disputed facts.