Opinion ID: 2606157
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: discussion of claim and issue preclusion

Text: Because decisions use the term res judicata inconsistently, it is important to clarify the terminology used here. Preclusion by former adjudication is a doctrine of rules and principles governing the binding effect on a subsequent proceeding of a final judgment previously entered in a claim. The term comprises two doctrines: claim preclusion, [2] also known as res judicata, and issue preclusion, [3] also known as collateral estoppel. Some authors use the term res judicata to refer to both subdivisions of former adjudication doctrine. See 1 Restatement (Second) of Judgments 131 (1982) (Introductory Note beginning chapter 3, Former Adjudication: The Effects of a Judicial Judgment). However, in this opinion and henceforth, we will use the more exact terms claim preclusion or issue preclusion to denote the respective branches of preclusion by former adjudication. This is merely a choice of nomenclature, not a law change.