judgment

noun | play \ˈjəj-mənt\ | judg·ment
  1. a : a formal decision or determination on a matter or case by a court; especially : final judgment in this entry — compare dictum, disposition, finding, holding, opinion, ruling, verdict : final judgment in this entry — compare dictum, disposition, finding, holding, opinion, ruling, verdict

    Note: Under Rule 54 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure judgment encompasses a decree and any order from which an appeal lies.

    — cognovit judgment
    : an acknowledgment by a debtor of the existence of a debt with agreement that an adverse judgment may be entered without notice or a hearing : confession of judgment

    — consent judgment
    : a judgment approved and entered by a court by consent of the parties upon agreement or stipulation : consent decree at decree

    — declaratory judgment
    : a judgment declaring a right or establishing the legal status or interpretation of a law or instrument a declaratory judgment that the law is unconstitutional — compare damage 2, injunction, specific performance at performance

    — default judgment
    : a judgment entered by a court after an entry of default against a party for failure to appear, to file a pleading, or to take other required procedural steps — called also judgment by default; compare decree pro confesso at decree

    — deficiency judgment
    : a judgment in favor of a creditor for the balance of a debt that is not satisfied in full by the security; especially : such a judgment following a mortgage foreclosure

    — final judgment
    : a judgment that leaves nothing further to be done on a matter except execution

    — in personam judgment
    : personal judgment in this entry

    — in rem judgment
    : judgment in rem in this entry

    — judgment as a matter of law
    : a judgment rendered against a party on an issue at any time before the case is submitted to the jury on the ground that there is no legally sufficient evidentiary basis for a reasonable jury to find for the party on that issue

    — judgment by default
    : default judgment in this entry

    — judgment in personam
    : personal judgment in this entry

    — judgment in rem
    : a judgment affecting the status of a particular thing (as an item of property) or subject matter : a judgment rendered by a court exercising in rem jurisdiction — compare personal judgment in this entry

    — judgment nisi
    : a judgment that is not final or absolute after default and judgment nisi requiring them to show cause why it should not be made final —Code of Alabama

    — judgment non obstante veredicto
    : judgment notwithstanding the verdict in this entry

    — judgment notwithstanding the verdict
    : a judgment that may be granted upon a motion by a defendant whose motion for a directed verdict was denied and that sets aside the jury's verdict in favor of a judgment in accordance with the motion for directed verdict — called also judgment non obstante veredicto Note: Judgment notwithstanding the verdict has been replaced by judgment as a matter of law in federal practice.

    — judgment of acquittal
    : a judgment that is rendered upon motion of the defendant or the court's own motion at the close of the evidence and that acquits the defendant of one or more of the offenses charged when the evidence is insufficient to sustain a conviction — called also directed verdict, directed verdict of acquittal

    — judgment on the merits
    : a judgment made after consideration of the substantive as distinguished from procedural issues in a case

    — judgment on the pleadings
    : summary judgment in this entry

    — money judgment
    : a judgment directing the payment of a sum of money

    — nihil-dicit judgment
    : a judgment entered against a defendant who has failed to make an effective answer (as because the answer is withdrawn or does not respond to the merits of the plaintiff's case) — called also nil dicit judgment

    — personal judgment
    : a judgment determining the rights and liabilities of a particular person : a judgment rendered by a court exercising personal jurisdiction over a person — compare judgment in rem in this entry

    — summary judgment
    : judgment that may be granted upon a party's motion when the pleadings, discovery, and any affidavits show that there is no genuine issue of material fact and that the party is entitled to judgment in its favor as a matter of law Note: Under Rule 56 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, summary judgment may be granted on all or on just part of a case.

    b : an obligation (as a debt) created by a decree of a court collection of…automobile judgments from uninsured motorists —Harvard Law Review also : an official document embodying such a decision or decree : an official document embodying such a decision or decree

    c : a declaration by a court of the conviction of a criminal defendant and the punishment to be imposed; specifically : sentence : sentence

  1. : the action of judging : the mental or intellectual process of forming an opinion or making a decision; also : an opinion or decision so formed : an opinion or decision so formed

    — business judgment
    : a decision by a person or body (as a board of directors) having authority to act on behalf of a business and usually marked by reasonableness and the exercise of due care; also : the ability to make such decisions

    — substituted judgment
    : a decision regarding medical treatment made by a person (as a family member) on behalf of a person who is incompetent and unable to decide for himself or herself