How a court can decide a case — or part of one — without a trial, and why a well-built motion can end litigation early.
Summary judgment lets a court resolve a claim without a trial when the material facts are not genuinely disputed and the law dictates the result.
Why it matters
A granted motion can dismiss claims entirely. We have used it to remove a client from multi-million-dollar litigation. But these motions are won on the record built long before they are filed.
What it takes
The moving party must show there is nothing for a jury to decide. That requires evidence, not argument — which is why discovery and motion practice are inseparable.