What is a motion for judgment as a matter of law in civil litigation?

A motion for judgment as a matter of law (also known as a “JMOL” or “direction of verdict”) is a motion made in civil litigation in South Carolina which requests that the judge decide in favor of one party or another without requiring a jury to reach a verdict on the matter. In essence, a JMOL is a request that the judge decide the case in favor of the movant (the party making the motion) as a result of the opposing party’s failure to prove its case as a matter of law. In order to successfully bring a JMOL motion in South Carolina, the movant must show that no reasonable jury could find in the defendants favor on the facts. This means that the evidence presented must be so overwhelmingly one-sided that the court can determine as a matter of law that the defendant is not liable. If the judge grants the JMOL motion, this means that the plaintiff has lost the case and cannot proceed any further. In short, a motion for judgment as a matter of law in civil litigation is a motion that is made when one party believes that the evidence presented is so one-sided that a judge should decide in their favor without requiring a jury to reach a verdict. If successful, the court may grant the motion and the opposing party will be held not liable.

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What is a motion for judgment as a matter of law in civil litigation?

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