Which description best captures summary judgment?

Which description best captures summary judgment?

• A. A trial on the merits with live testimony.
• B. A partial verdict after discovery.
• C. A judgment after a full evidentiary hearing.
• D. A merits decision short of trial where there is no genuine issue of material fact.

Answer: (D)

Summary judgment is a merits decision made without a trial when there is no genuine issue of material fact. The court relies on the pleadings, affidavits, and undisputed evidence to decide, as a matter of law, that one side is entitled to judgment. If there is no real factual dispute, the case can be resolved without the need for live testimony or a full evidentiary hearing; if any material fact is genuinely disputed, judgment is not appropriate and the case proceeds to trial. This description matches summary judgment precisely: a merits decision short of trial where there is no genuine issue of material fact. The other descriptions describe trial settings or post-discovery verdicts, not the once-and-final disposition without a trial when there’s no factual dispute.

Summary judgment is a merits decision made without a trial when there is no genuine issue of material fact. The court relies on the pleadings, affidavits, and undisputed evidence to decide, as a matter of law, that one side is entitled to judgment. If there is no real factual dispute, the case can be resolved without the need for live testimony or a full evidentiary hearing; if any material fact is genuinely disputed, judgment is not appropriate and the case proceeds to trial. This description matches summary judgment precisely: a merits decision short of trial where there is no genuine issue of material fact. The other descriptions describe trial settings or post-discovery verdicts, not the once-and-final disposition without a trial when there’s no factual dispute.