Rule 58.Entry of Judgment; Stay

A judgment is not effective, and does not exist for legal purposes, until it is entered. Rule 58 requires the court administrator to promptly enter judgment on a jury verdict, or on a court order for recovery of money only, for costs, or denying all relief, unless the court directs otherwise. When a jury returns a special verdict, or a general verdict paired with interrogatory answers, or when the court orders relief other than money or costs, the court has to direct exactly what judgment should be entered; it cannot leave that decision to the administrator alone. Entry of judgment does not wait on the taxation of costs, and leaving costs out of the initial entry does not affect how final the judgment is. The court administrator formally enters and signs the judgment in the judgment roll, and that act of entry is what makes the judgment official; nothing before that counts.

The rule also lets a court stay, or pause, the entry of judgment. During the period needed to hear and decide a motion for a new trial, for judgment notwithstanding the verdict, to set the verdict aside, to dismiss the action, or for amended findings, the court can order a stay. After deciding that motion, the court can extend the stay for up to 30 days. If the court wants to stay entry of judgment for longer than 30 days after the verdict or decision, it has discretion to require security or other conditions to protect the other side during that extended stay.