A summary judgment is a judgment made by a court or judge without conducting a full trial. Either party in a legal dispute may move for summary judgment, provided that there is no disagreement about the material facts of the case. This allows both litigants to avoid the expense of a full trial. However, if a party moves for summary judgment, the judge will always examine the facts in the light most favorable to their opponent. For this reason, most parties to a lawsuit will avoid summary judgment unless they believe that the law is firmly on their side.