Civil Procedure · defense
Collateral estoppel, or issue preclusion, is a legal doctrine that bars the re-litigation of an issue that has already been determined in a final judgment in a prior action between the same parties. This doctrine serves to promote judicial efficiency and prevent inconsistent judgments.
There must have been a final judgment in the prior case.
What to prove: It must be demonstrated that the prior case resulted in a final adjudication on the merits.
The issue in the current case must be the same as the issue that was litigated in the prior case.
What to prove: The party asserting collateral estoppel must show that the issue was actually litigated and determined in the previous proceeding.
The parties in the current case must be the same or in privity with the parties from the prior case.
What to prove: It must be established that the parties involved in the current litigation were involved in the initial litigation or have a sufficiently close legal relationship.
The party invoking collateral estoppel bears the burden of proving the elements by a preponderance of the evidence.
Exam questions on collateral estoppel often involve determining whether the required elements are met based on hypothetical scenarios. Pay attention to the finality of judgments and the parties' relationships in past cases.