What is the doctrine of collateral estoppel?

Collateral estoppel, also known as issue preclusion, is a doctrine that comes from civil procedure in Arizona. It prevents parties from relitigating the same issue in a later lawsuit where the issue has been decided in a prior lawsuit. Basically, it stops a party from relitigating the same issue where the same or similar parties were involved in the prior case. For example, if a dispute occurred between two companies over the terms of a contract and the dispute was taken to court, the court would make a decision. This agreement is legally binding and if the same two companies have a dispute in the future, the doctrine of collateral estoppel would prevent the two companies from litigating the same issue again. Collateral estoppel is a way to keep disputes from being litigated multiple times by the same parties. It prevents unnecessary court cases as well as creating finality and clarity in contracts and agreements. It also prevents the parties from bringing up the same issues over and over again. It creates more efficiency in the legal system by preventing the same issue from being litigated more than once.

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What is the doctrine of collateral estoppel?

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