Issue Preclusion

Issue preclusion, also known as collateral estoppel, prevents the same issue from being re-litigated in a different case once it has been decided in a previous one. If a court has ruled on a specific fact or legal question, parties involved cannot dispute it again if they later bring a different case involving that same issue. This helps ensure consistency in the legal system and saves time and resources by avoiding duplicate litigation over settled matters. Essentially, once an issue is resolved, it remains settled for those parties moving forward.