A "motion in limine" is a pretrial motion that seeks the exclusion of specific evidence or arguments from being presented during a trial. A motion in limine is decided by the judge outside of the presence of the jury. The purpose of a motion...
trial process/advocacy
motion to dismiss
A motion to dismiss is a formal request for a court to dismiss a case. The reasons for a dismissal vary greatly.
Settlement: Approximately 95% of civil cases reach settlements at some stage (can be before, after, or during...
motion to quash
In law, a motion to quash is a formal request made to a court to declare a specific proceeding, such as a subpoena, an arrest warrant, or a legal complaint, as invalid or void. The purpose of filing a motion to quash is to challenge the legal...
motion to strike
A motion to strike is a request to a judge that part of a party’s pleading or a piece of evidence be removed from the record. During the pleading stage, this can be accomplished by a tool such as Rule 12(f) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure or a...
motion to suppress
A motion to suppress is a motion that revolves around the exclusion of evidence from trial. In the United States, a motion to suppress is a request made by a criminal defendant in advance of a criminal trial asking the court to exclude...
movant
A movant is any party that makes a motion in a case, whether the case be civil or criminal.
For example, if a plaintiff in a civil case moves for summary judgment, the plaintiff is the movant.
[Last updated in June...
move
To file a motion.
[Last updated in December of 2020 by the Wex Definitions Team]
moving party
A term which refers to a party in a case who is making a motion. For example, if a plaintiff in a civil case moves for summary judgment, the plaintiff is considered the moving party. This term is interchangeable with movant. A non-movant is a party who...
multidistrict litigation
A legal proceeding in federal civil litigation, aimed at reducing the burden on federal district courts, and make litigation more convenient for parties and promote overall efficiency in the courts. Congress codified MDLs in 28 U.S.C § 1407. When...
multiplicity of actions
In civil procedure, the term “multiplicity of actions,” or “multiplicity of suits”, refers to the bringing of multiple lawsuits that raise the same issue(s) and that could have been brought in one action. The law generally seeks to avoid multiplicity...