What constitutes a final judgment?

What constitutes a final judgment?

• A. An interim order that preserves rights for further proceedings.
• B. A court's disposition of all claims and issues, signaling the end of the case except for appeals.
• C. A dismissal for lack of jurisdiction before trial.
• D. An order that partially resolves the case while other issues remain.

Answer: (B)

A final judgment is the court’s disposition of all claims and issues that ends the case on the merits, leaving nothing left to be decided except for the right to appeal. Once every claim and issue has been resolved, the action is over for purposes of the trial court, and the judgment is subject to appellate review. Interim orders that merely preserve rights for later proceedings aren’t final because they don’t end the case. A dismissal for lack of jurisdiction before trial ends the suit but isn’t a final adjudication on the merits. An order that partially resolves the case leaves other issues pending, so it isn’t final either.

A final judgment is the court’s disposition of all claims and issues that ends the case on the merits, leaving nothing left to be decided except for the right to appeal. Once every claim and issue has been resolved, the action is over for purposes of the trial court, and the judgment is subject to appellate review. Interim orders that merely preserve rights for later proceedings aren’t final because they don’t end the case. A dismissal for lack of jurisdiction before trial ends the suit but isn’t a final adjudication on the merits. An order that partially resolves the case leaves other issues pending, so it isn’t final either.