define "Summary Judgment"

A "summary judgment" is a court decision made on the basis of evidence presented for the record without a trial. A successful motion for summary judgment may be made when there is no dispute as to the material facts of a case, and one party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.  The primary function of a trial is to resolve disputes regarding facts.  When the facts are not disputed, it then falls to the court to apply principles of law to the facts for purposes of rendering a judgment.