• In federal practice, the term judgment as a matter of law has replaced both the directed verdict and the judgment notwithstanding the verdict. Fed. R. Civ. P. 50. Cf. SUMMARY JUDGMENT. [Cases: Federal Civil Procedure 2111, 2601; Judgment 199; Trial 167. C.J.S. Judgments §§ 62–68, 70; Trial §§ 432–433, 437–438.]
judgment as a matter of law
A judgment rendered during a jury trial — either before or after the jury’s verdict — against a party on a given issue when there is no legally sufficient basis for a jury to find for that party on that issue.
