A summary judgement occurs when, in a civil case, one party wants to move to a court decision without a trial. That...
A summary judgement occurs when, in a civil case, one party wants to move to a court decision without a trial. That only happens however, when the two parties agree to the critical facts of the issue, and the law allows summary judgement based on the undisputed facts at hand.
When a motion for summary judgement is granted, it indicates there is sufficient evidence to declare one party the clear winner. In other words, the judge has reviewed the undisputed facts of the case, along with any acceptable evidence provided by each party to support their argument and sees no point in having a trial.
The judge will then rule on the case based on the facts and evidence. A summary judgement can often be beneficial as it potentially skips a lengthy (and costly) court trial.