What is the doctrine of collateral estoppel in civil litigation?

The doctrine of collateral estoppel is an important concept in civil litigation law in California. Collateral estoppel is a legal principle which states that a party who has already adjudicated an issue in a prior case cannot raise the same issue again in a later case. In California, the doctrine of collateral estoppel is based on the idea that a person should not be allowed to relitigate the same issue over and over in order to achieve a different result. Once a court has decided an issue, the decision is binding on all parties involved in the case, regardless of whether the decision was made correctly or incorrectly. This legal principle is designed to prevent parties from using the courts as a forum for repeated litigation of the same issue. For the doctrine of collateral estoppel to apply, the issue or question must have been actually litigated, the issue must have been essential to the previous judgment, and the parties must have had a full and fair opportunity to litigate in the earlier case. If these conditions are met, the former judgment is conclusive and binding on the parties in future proceedings. In other words, the doctrine of collateral estoppel bars a party from relitigating an issue that has been litigated and decided in a prior proceeding. This doctrine is an important concept in civil litigation law in California and helps to ensure that the same issue is not litigated multiple times in different contexts.

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What is the doctrine of collateral estoppel in civil litigation?

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