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verdict

A verdict is the formal decision or judgment rendered by a court at the conclusion of a trial or legal proceeding. It represents the culmination of the entire legal process. Verdicts are reached by a judge or a jury , depending on the type of trial and jurisdiction . 

In a criminal trial, the verdict may include findings such as guilty or not guilty , reflecting whether the defendant’s guilt has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt . In a civil trial, the verdict can entail various outcomes, such as liable or not liable and may also specify the amount of damages to be awarded to the prevailing party .

Summaries of verdicts are often reported in verdict reports. A verdict report usually contains the case name, case number, date of decision, "topic" (e.g. medical malpractice , employment discrimination , etc.), result (i.e. did the plaintiff (s) or defendant (s) win), the amount of the judgment (if any), the alleged injury , jurisdictional information (i.e. state and county where the lawsuit was tried), name of judge , name of attorneys, a brief summary of the facts, a listing of the expert witnesses who were used by the parties, and other miscellaneous information about the lawsuit . 

[Last updated in August 2023 by Jim Robinson, Esq., JurisPro Expert Witness Directory
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See also:

Wex

• THE LEGAL PROCESS

• courts

• criminal law

• criminal procedure

• legal practice/ethics

• wex definitions

• civil procedure

• courts and procedure

• criminal law and procedure

• legal education and practice

• Compromise verdict

• Defective verdict

• Directed verdict

• General verdict

• Judgment notwithstanding the verdict

• Quotient verdict

• Special verdict