Summary judgment

A court judgment, given at an early stage, finding for a party without a full trial of the issues and hearing of evidence on the basis that the claim, defence or issue has no real prospect of success and there is no other compelling reason why the matter should be disposed of at trial. Summary judgment may dispose of the case as a whole or be confined to a particular issue. The procedure for summary judgment is set out in CPR 24.

For further guidance, see Practice note, Summary judgment: an overview.