Legal Definitions - summary adjudication

Summary adjudication is a legal procedure used before a trial begins that allows a court to make a final decision on specific, distinct parts of a lawsuit, rather than the entire case. Its primary purpose is to streamline the litigation process, saving time and resources by resolving certain issues early.

Unlike summary judgment, which aims to dismiss an entire case before it goes to trial, summary adjudication focuses on individual components. These components can include a particular legal claim (known as a "cause of action"), a defense raised by one party (an "affirmative defense"), a specific type of financial compensation being sought (a "claim for damages"), or whether one party owed a legal obligation to another (an "issue of duty"). For a court to grant summary adjudication, it must completely resolve the specific issue it addresses, meaning there are no remaining factual disputes on that particular point for a jury to decide.

• Example 1: Resolving a Specific Legal Claim

  Imagine a homeowner sues a landscaping company after a major project, alleging both breach of contract (because the work wasn't done as agreed) and fraud (claiming the company intentionally misrepresented its qualifications). The landscaping company might file a motion for summary adjudication specifically on the fraud claim. They could present undisputed evidence, such as signed contracts and communication records, proving they made no false statements about their qualifications.

  If the court grants this motion, the fraud claim is dismissed from the lawsuit entirely. However, the breach of contract claim would still proceed to trial, as the summary adjudication only addressed one specific legal claim within the larger case.

• Example 2: Disposing of an Affirmative Defense

  Consider a case where a former employee sues their previous employer for wrongful termination and also for defamation. The employer might argue that the defamation claim was filed too late, beyond the legal deadline set by the statute of limitations. The employer could then file a motion for summary adjudication specifically on the affirmative defense of the statute of limitations as it applies to the defamation claim. They would provide evidence, such as the date the alleged defamatory statements were made and the date the lawsuit was filed, to show the claim is time-barred.

  If the court agrees, the defamation claim would be dismissed. The wrongful termination claim, however, would continue towards trial, as the summary adjudication only resolved a specific defense against one part of the lawsuit.

• Example 3: Determining an Issue of Duty

  Suppose a patron slips and falls in a restaurant. The patron sues the restaurant, alleging negligence. Part of the legal argument revolves around whether the restaurant had a specific duty to warn patrons about a wet floor in a particular area that was not typically accessible to customers. The restaurant might file a motion for summary adjudication on the issue of duty, arguing that, based on the layout of the premises and standard safety practices, they had no legal duty to warn patrons about a non-public area.

  If the court grants this motion, it would legally establish that the restaurant owed no such duty regarding that specific area. This could significantly narrow the scope of the negligence claim, potentially leading to its dismissal or at least removing a key element the patron needed to prove, while other aspects of the case (like whether the floor was actually wet) might still be disputed.