res judicata
A Levels Academy Islamabad
Transcript
00:00Sure, sometimes court cases can drag on forever.
00:03Sometimes even evolution seems to be faster.
00:07But believe it or not, a case can have an actual conclusion.
00:11That's when a court makes a final ruling
00:13that cannot be appealed or pursued
00:15any further through litigation.
00:17This is called res judicata.
00:20And no, it's not a type of kung fu.
00:23It's Latin, and it means a matter already judged.
00:27A party can invoke res judicata
00:29to prevent the same opposing party
00:31from bringing up the same claim against them.
00:34That was made in a case that was already decided.
00:38A court of law is no place for Groundhog Day.
00:42For example, say someone sues a small business for negligence
00:45because he slipped and fell in the store, injuring himself.
00:49A verdict is then reached that the business was not
00:51negligent, and if there are no grounds for an appeal,
00:54the case is over.
00:56The person injured cannot then try
00:58to sue the same business again for the same reason.
01:01Now, res judicata only applies to the exact two parties
01:05in the previous case.
01:06The outcome has no effect on someone who wasn't a party.
01:10So if a new party brings a case against the same defendant,
01:13res judicata cannot be used, even
01:16if the case arises out of the same or similar situation.
01:20This is because everyone should have a chance
01:22to prove their own case.
01:24You are not bound by the outcome of someone else's case,
01:27because, well, maybe you can put on a better case.
01:31To put on the best case possible,
01:33be sure to be prepared and use all the help you can get,
01:37including LegalYou.
01:39LegalYou, you can do this.