What is res judicata and collateral estoppel?

Res judicata and collateral estoppel are two important concepts in civil procedure in Michigan. Res judicata is a Latin term which means "a matter already judged". It refers to a rule that prevents a plaintiff from re-litigating an issue from a prior case. It means that once a court has determined a certain issue, it may not be litigated again by the same parties. Collateral estoppel is also known as issue preclusion. It is a related but distinct concept from res judicata and is based on the idea that an issue should not be relitigated if it has already been determined by a court in a prior case. For example, if a defendant lost a prior case on the issue of liability, collateral estoppel would prevent the defendant from raising the same issue in a subsequent case between the same parties. In Michigan, both res judicata and collateral estoppel apply to civil cases and are meant to limit the amount of time and resources spent in litigating issues that have already been addressed by a court. Examples of when res judicata and collateral estoppel would apply to a civil case in Michigan include when a defendant has lost a prior case on the issue of liability, or when a litigant has previously filed a claim for the same cause of action and lost it. Both res judicata and collateral estoppel are important concepts in civil procedure in Michigan. They are meant to provide finality, fairness, and efficiency in resolving disputes between parties, and ensure that similar issues are not endlessly re-litigated.

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What is res judicata and collateral estoppel?

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