Rule 60.Motion for Directed Verdict

Rule 60 gives a party a way to ask the court to resolve the case, or part of it, without letting the jury decide, on the theory that the evidence presented doesn't leave room for reasonable disagreement. Either side can move for a directed verdict at two points: after the opponent has finished presenting evidence, or after all the evidence is in. The motion has to state the specific grounds it rests on; a bare request isn't enough.

Moving for a directed verdict carries little downside. A party who moves at the close of the opponent's case can still put on its own evidence if the motion is denied, exactly as though the motion had never been made, without having to reserve that right in advance. And even if every party in the case moves for a directed verdict, none of those motions works as a waiver of the right to a jury trial. If the court does grant the motion, its order takes effect without any need for the jury to weigh in. One more wrinkle: when the party against whom the claim is asserted is the one moving, the court has the discretion to enter a judgment of dismissal without prejudice under Rule 54 instead of directing a verdict outright, a narrower outcome that leaves the claim open to be refiled.