What is the doctrine of collateral estoppel in civil litigation?

Collateral estoppel is a legal doctrine that is often used in civil litigation in Washington. It applies when the same facts or legal issue have been litigated in a prior lawsuit. The doctrine prevents parties from litigating the same issue more than once. In essence, when parties litigate an issue and the court issues a judgment, the issue is “stopped” from later being litigated as part of another lawsuit. The court will not hear arguments again on the same issue that was previously litigated and decided. In Washington, in order for the doctrine of collateral estoppel to be applied, the following must be established: 1. An issue of fact or law was actually litigated and a valid final judgment was rendered; 2. The party against whom the estoppel is asserted was a party to or in privity with a party to the prior action; 3. The issue for which estoppel is asserted was actually litigated and determined in the prior action; 4. The party against whom the estoppel is found was given a fair opportunity to be heard on the issue; and 5. The prior decision was necessary to the judgment in the prior action. If all of the above criteria are met, then the court will not allow the same issue to be litigated again and instead, the court will accept the prior judgment on the issue as true. This helps to prevent costly and time-consuming litigation, as parties are not allowed to bring the same issues to court multiple times.

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What is the doctrine of collateral estoppel in civil litigation?

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