After the jury’s verdict, a party may ask the trial court to disregard the jury’s findings and grant a motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict (JNOV). The trial court may grant such a motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict if the evidence conclusively establishes the moving party’s right to a judgment different than the jury’s findings.
In New Hampshire, after a jury has delivered its verdict, a party may request the trial court to set aside the jury's findings and issue a judgment notwithstanding the verdict (JNOV), also known as a judgment non obstante veredicto. This legal action is taken when a party believes that no reasonable jury could have reached the given verdict based on the evidence presented during the trial. The trial court has the authority to grant a JNOV if it finds that the evidence presented at trial conclusively favors the moving party and legally mandates a different outcome than the one reached by the jury. This is a high threshold to meet, as courts generally uphold the jury's findings unless there is a clear error in law or an absolute lack of evidence to support the jury's verdict. The purpose of a JNOV is to prevent a miscarriage of justice when the jury's verdict is not supported by the facts and the law.