January 2022 Bar Bulletin
By Kim Schnuelle
Summary judgment motions are an oft underutilized litigation tool, especially in family law. When no genuine issue of material fact exists, a properly filed summary judgment motion can dispense of the entire litigation, thus avoiding the delay and costs of trial.1 The prudent practitioner thus should question whether such a motion is appropriate when it appears that litigation was improperly filed or there are no facts that support the relief sought.
Summary judgment actions are governed by civil rule (CR) 56, which sets the briefing schedule for such motions. Summary judgment motions are important to the process of resolving disputes and are important...