Under _______, a claim may not be retried between the same two parties if it has been legally resolved.

Under _______, a claim may not be retried between the same two parties if it has been legally resolved.

• A. Estoppel
• B. Res judicata
• C. Double jeopardy
• D. Laches

Answer: (B)

Res judicata, or claim preclusion, says that once a court has issued a final judgment on the merits between the same parties, that claim cannot be relitigated in a future action. This rule promotes finality and judicial efficiency, ensuring that matters are settled and not reopened after a legitimate resolution. For it to apply, there’s usually identity of parties (or their privies), the judgment must be on the merits, and the later claim must arise from the same transaction or series of connected events as the earlier case. That’s why this option fits: a claim cannot be retried between the same two parties after it has been legally resolved. Estoppel prevents contradictory positions, double jeopardy covers criminal prosecutions, and laches involves undue delay; they don’t require a final adjudication between the same parties to bar a later suit in the same way.

Res judicata, or claim preclusion, says that once a court has issued a final judgment on the merits between the same parties, that claim cannot be relitigated in a future action. This rule promotes finality and judicial efficiency, ensuring that matters are settled and not reopened after a legitimate resolution. For it to apply, there’s usually identity of parties (or their privies), the judgment must be on the merits, and the later claim must arise from the same transaction or series of connected events as the earlier case. That’s why this option fits: a claim cannot be retried between the same two parties after it has been legally resolved. Estoppel prevents contradictory positions, double jeopardy covers criminal prosecutions, and laches involves undue delay; they don’t require a final adjudication between the same parties to bar a later suit in the same way.