Legal Definitions - contradictory judgment

A contradictory judgment refers to a court's decision or ruling that contains internal inconsistencies or conflicting directives regarding the same matter or parties. Such a judgment presents mutually exclusive findings or orders, making it unclear or impossible to implement without further clarification or correction. It essentially means the court has issued a decision that says two different, irreconcilable things about the same issue.

Here are some examples to illustrate this concept:

• Civil Litigation Example: Imagine a lawsuit where a plaintiff sues a defendant for breach of contract. In its final judgment, the court's written order states in one paragraph that the defendant is liable for the breach and must pay the plaintiff $100,000 in damages. However, in a subsequent paragraph within the same judgment, it declares that the plaintiff failed to prove any damages and therefore awards $0. These two directives are clearly contradictory; the defendant cannot simultaneously be ordered to pay $100,000 and $0 for the same claim. This makes the judgment unenforceable as written due to its internal conflict.

• Criminal Law Example (Jury Verdicts): Consider a criminal case where a defendant is charged with both grand theft auto (stealing a car) and receiving stolen property (the same car). If the jury returns verdicts finding the defendant guilty of both grand theft auto and receiving stolen property, these verdicts would be contradictory. Legally, one cannot steal a car and then *receive* the *same* stolen car from another person. The act of stealing precludes the act of receiving the same item as stolen property from someone else. The verdicts imply two mutually exclusive scenarios for the defendant's involvement with the vehicle.

• Family Law Example: In a divorce case involving child custody, a judge issues a final order. One section of the order grants "sole legal custody" to the mother, meaning she has the exclusive right to make major decisions about the child's upbringing (education, healthcare, religion). However, another section of the same order states that both parents "shall jointly decide all major educational and medical issues." These two provisions are contradictory. Sole legal custody vests decision-making power in one parent, while joint decision-making requires agreement between both parents. The judgment provides conflicting instructions on a fundamental aspect of parental responsibility.