---
title: "Judgment Notwithstanding the Verdict | Civil Procedure"
description: "Judgment notwithstanding the verdict lets a judge override a jury's verdict when no reasonable jury could reach it, a core Civil Procedure Rule 50 motion."
canonical: "https://fiveable.me/civil-procedure/key-terms/judgment-notwithstanding-the-verdict"
type: "key-term"
subject: "Civil Procedure"
unit: "Unit 9"
---

# Judgment Notwithstanding the Verdict | Civil Procedure

## Definition

Judgment notwithstanding the verdict, or JNOV, is a post-verdict motion in Civil Procedure asking the judge to enter a different judgment because the jury lacked a reasonable evidentiary basis.

## What It Is

Judgment notwithstanding the verdict, usually shortened to JNOV, is a Civil Procedure motion that asks the judge to set aside the jury's verdict and enter the opposite judgment when the evidence could not reasonably support what the jury decided.

In practice, JNOV comes up after the jury has already spoken. That timing matters, because the motion is not about stopping the trial halfway through. Instead, it says, in effect, "Even taking the evidence in the light most favorable to the verdict winner, no reasonable jury could have reached this result."

That is why JNOV is tied to the same basic idea as judgment as a matter of law. The court is not re-trying witness credibility or choosing which side seems more believable. The judge is checking whether the evidence was legally enough for the verdict to stand. If the answer is no, the verdict cannot survive just because the jury reached it.

Civil Procedure uses this motion to balance two values that can pull against each other. Juries are the fact-finders, so courts do not casually override them. But judges also have to make sure verdicts rest on evidence that meets the legal standard. JNOV is the tool for the rare case where the jury went beyond what the record can support.

A simple way to picture it is this: imagine a negligence trial where the plaintiff proves the defendant was present near the accident, but produces no evidence of duty, breach, or causation. If the jury still finds for the plaintiff, the defendant may ask for JNOV because presence alone is not enough for a reasonable verdict. The judge then asks whether any reasonable jury could have found for the plaintiff on the actual proof presented.

Procedurally, JNOV is usually filed by the losing party after the verdict and within a short deadline. If granted, it replaces the jury's verdict with the judge's contrary ruling. That does not mean the jury was "wrong" in a casual sense, it means the verdict had no legally sufficient evidentiary support under the governing standard.

## Why It Matters

JNOV shows how Civil Procedure polices the line between jury power and judicial control. A lot of the course is about who decides what, and JNOV is one of the clearest examples of a judge stepping in after trial to correct a verdict that the evidence cannot support.

This term also helps you understand Rule 50 practice. JNOV does not stand alone as a random post-trial motion, it is part of the larger motion-for-judgment-as-a-matter-of-law framework. If you can track when the motion is made, what standard the judge uses, and what happens if it is granted, you are already thinking like a civil procedure student.

The concept also shows up when you read cases or hypo problems that ask whether a party should have gotten relief after an unusually weak jury verdict. You are not just spotting a motion label. You are analyzing evidentiary support, the reasonable jury standard, and the court's reluctance to replace a real factual determination unless the record makes that verdict untenable.

It matters for appeals too, because JNOV can shape what gets reviewed and what judgment survives. If the judge grants it, the losing side may try to undo that ruling on appeal. If the judge denies it, the verdict usually stands unless there is some other problem. So JNOV often sits at the center of the shift from trial-level factfinding to post-trial review.

## Connections

### Motion for Judgment as a Matter of Law

JNOV is closely related to judgment as a matter of law because both ask whether the evidence is legally sufficient for a reasonable jury to rule the way it did. The difference is timing. JMOL is raised before the case goes to the jury, while JNOV comes after the verdict. On a problem set, spotting that timing is usually the first move.

### Verdict

A verdict is the jury's formal decision, and JNOV only exists because there is a verdict to challenge. If you are reading a fact pattern, ask whether the jury has already returned its decision. If yes, then the party is in post-verdict territory and JNOV becomes a possible response. If not, the issue is probably JMOL or another trial motion instead.

### [reasonable jury standard](/civil-procedure/key-terms/reasonable-jury-standard)

The reasonable jury standard is the test behind JNOV. The question is not whether the judge would have found differently, but whether any reasonable jury could have reached the actual verdict on the evidence presented. That standard keeps the judge from simply substituting personal judgment for the jury's role as fact-finder.

### [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 50](/civil-procedure/key-terms/federal-rule-of-civil-procedure-50)

Rule 50 is the rule family that governs motions for judgment as a matter of law, including the post-verdict move that is often called JNOV. When a class question asks about the procedure, Rule 50 tells you the motion's timing, purpose, and relationship to the trial record. It is the rule to cite when you need the procedural home for the doctrine.

## On the AP Exam

A quiz question or essay prompt will usually give you trial facts and ask whether a judge can enter judgment after the jury's verdict. Your job is to check the evidence, not just the outcome. If the losing party argues that the verdict has no reasonable evidentiary basis, identify JNOV and explain that the judge asks whether any reasonable jury could still have reached that result.

In a hypothetical, you would usually mention that the motion comes after the verdict, that it is tied to Rule 50, and that courts are cautious because they do not want to replace the jury on close factual disputes. If the facts show a one-sided record, JNOV is much stronger. If the facts show conflicting testimony and some evidence on each side, the motion is much weaker because a reasonable jury could choose between competing versions.

## Judgment Notwithstanding the Verdict vs Motion for Judgment as a Matter of Law

These are often treated as parts of the same Rule 50 framework, but they happen at different times. JMOL is made before the case goes to the jury, while JNOV is made after the jury has returned a verdict. If you mix them up, check the timeline first. Pre-verdict means JMOL, post-verdict means JNOV.

## Key Takeaways

- Judgment notwithstanding the verdict is a post-verdict request for the judge to override a jury decision that lacks enough evidence to stand.
- The core question is whether any reasonable jury could have reached the verdict on the trial record, not whether the judge personally disagrees with it.
- JNOV is closely tied to Rule 50 and to the same idea behind judgment as a matter of law, but it comes after the verdict instead of before it.
- Courts use JNOV carefully because it cuts into the jury's role as fact-finder, so it is strongest when the evidence is extremely one-sided.
- If you see a fact pattern with a weak verdict and a losing party filing after the jury speaks, JNOV is the motion you should think about first.

## FAQs

### What is Judgment Notwithstanding the Verdict in Civil Procedure?

It is a post-trial motion asking the judge to enter a different judgment because the jury's verdict has no legally sufficient evidentiary support. The judge is not re-weighing everything from scratch, just checking whether a reasonable jury could have reached that result. If the answer is no, the verdict can be set aside.

### Is JNOV the same as a motion for judgment as a matter of law?

They are closely related, but the timing is different. A motion for judgment as a matter of law happens before the jury decides the case, while JNOV comes after the verdict. In Civil Procedure, both use the idea that the evidence is too weak for a reasonable jury to rule that way.

### When can a party file for JNOV?

A party files it after the jury returns its verdict, usually within a short deadline set by the court rules. That timing is what makes it a post-verdict motion rather than a trial-level objection. If the party waits too long, the motion can be lost even if the evidence was weak.

### What happens if JNOV is granted?

The judge replaces the jury's verdict with a different judgment. That means the verdict no longer controls the case at the trial level. The losing side can often challenge that ruling later, so JNOV can become part of the path to appeal.

## Related Study Guides

- [9.2 Motions for Judgment as a Matter of Law](/civil-procedure/unit-9/motions-judgment-matter-law/study-guide/JkN4nHuwGYXfw3xz)

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