Collateral estoppel: which statement is true?

Collateral estoppel: which statement is true?

• A. It prevents relitigation of the entire claim
• B. It prevents relitigation of specific issues that were actually litigated and decided
• C. It applies only to criminal matters
• D. It requires identical parties in both proceedings

Answer: (B)

Collateral estoppel, or issue preclusion, bars relitigation of a specific issue that was actually litigated and necessarily decided in a prior final judgment, provided the party had a fair opportunity to litigate. Once that issue has been resolved against a party in the first case, that same issue cannot be relitigated in a later case, even if the later case involves different claims or different facts. This focus on preventing re-litigating the same issue, not the entire claim, is what makes this doctrine distinct from claim preclusion. It also applies in civil settings, not just criminal ones. The essential feature is the actual, essential determination of the issue, not whether the parties are identical in both proceedings.

Collateral estoppel, or issue preclusion, bars relitigation of a specific issue that was actually litigated and necessarily decided in a prior final judgment, provided the party had a fair opportunity to litigate. Once that issue has been resolved against a party in the first case, that same issue cannot be relitigated in a later case, even if the later case involves different claims or different facts. This focus on preventing re-litigating the same issue, not the entire claim, is what makes this doctrine distinct from claim preclusion. It also applies in civil settings, not just criminal ones. The essential feature is the actual, essential determination of the issue, not whether the parties are identical in both proceedings.