what is a summary judgment 
a summary judgment is a judgment made by a court or judge without conducting a full trial either party in a legal dispute may move for summary judgment provided that there is no disagreement about the material facts of the case this allows both litigants to avoid the expense of a full trial however if a party moves for summary judgment the judge will always examine the facts in the light most favorable to their opponent for this reason most parties to a lawsuit will avoid summary judgment unless they believe that the law is firmly on their side 12