Collateral Estoppel

Collateral estoppel, also known as issue preclusion, prevents a party from re-litigating an issue that has already been decided in a previous case. If a court has made a final ruling on a specific fact or legal question, that decision cannot be contested again by the same parties in future lawsuits involving that issue. This principle promotes efficiency in the legal system and ensures consistency in rulings, so people can rely on the determination of facts and issues that have already been fully examined in court.