A motion for judgment as a matter of law is a procedure during trial in which a party who does not have the burden of proof on a claim (generally the defendant) or on a defense to a claim (generally the plaintiff) may ask the court to dismiss the claim or defense before the jury is allowed to decide it. The standard for dismissing such a claim or defense is whether no reasonable jury could find for the opposing party on the claim or defense. In the federal court system, a motion for judgment as a matter of law is governed by Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 50.

In Massachusetts, a motion for judgment as a matter of law is a legal procedure that occurs during a trial, where a party without the burden of proof (usually the defendant in the case of a claim, or the plaintiff in the case of a defense) requests the court to decide on a claim or defense without submitting it to the jury. This is typically done after the opposing party has been heard but before the case is handed to the jury. The standard for the court to grant such a motion is that no reasonable jury could find in favor of the opposing party based on the evidence presented. This means that the evidence must point so strongly in favor of the moving party that the court believes a jury verdict contrary to that evidence would be incorrect. In Massachusetts state courts, this procedure is governed by the Massachusetts Rules of Civil Procedure, which closely mirror the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Specifically, Rule 50 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure provides the framework for this motion in federal courts, and Massachusetts has a similar provision in its own procedural rules.