Directed Verdicts

A directed verdict is a court-ordered disposition of a civil lawsuit after trial has begun. Typically, the defendant moves for a directed verdict at the end of plaintiff's presentation of evidence. If the judge does not grant the motion for a directed verdict, the defendant typically proceeds to present evidence, and the jury renders a verdict. Both the directed verdict, typically granted at the end of plaintiff's evidence, and the judgment notwithstanding the verdict, granted after the jury decision, are governed by the same legal standard. Under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, both the directed verdict and the judgment notwithstanding the verdict are alternative forms of judgment as a matter of law. The concept of the directed verdict initially appears to be inconsistent with the right to a jury trial guaranteed by the Seventh Amendment to the US Constitution.