Civil Law
Res Judicata
A legal principle preventing the same parties from relitigating an issue that has already been conclusively decided by a competent court.
Once a matter has been finally decided between the same parties by a court of competent jurisdiction, res judicata bars either party from raising the same issue again in a fresh suit — meant to bring finality to litigation and prevent endless re-litigation of settled matters.
Courts examine whether the earlier decision was truly on the same matter, between the same parties, and rendered by a court competent to decide it, before applying this bar.
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