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Civil procedure

judgment notwithstanding the verdict (JNOV)

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 Jersey, after a jury has rendered its verdict, a party may file a motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict (JNOV), which is also known as a motion for judgment non obstante veredicto. This motion asks the trial court to set aside the jury's verdict and enter a different judgment. The standard for granting a JNOV is stringent; the court can only grant this motion if, after giving the non-moving party the benefit of all reasonable inferences, the evidence is so overwhelmingly one-sided that reasonable jurors could not disagree on the verdict. In other words, the court can grant a JNOV only if it finds that the evidence, viewed in the light most favorable to the non-moving party, leads to the conclusion that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. This is a high threshold to meet because it respects the jury's role as the primary fact-finder in the trial process. If the motion for JNOV is denied, the party may appeal the decision to a higher court.

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Civil procedure

judgment notwithstanding the verdict (JNOV)

Individual & Family Legal Plan

Articles

New-Jersey State Code

New-Jersey State Code

Civil procedure

judgment notwithstanding the verdict (JNOV)

Articles