Rule 50.Judgment as a matter of law in jury trials; alternative motion for new trial; conditional rulings

Group VI: Trials · Last amended March 1, 2017 · Last verified July 14, 2026

In one sentenceRule 50 lets the court take a legally unsupported issue away from the jury and enter judgment as a matter of law, both before the case goes to the jury under subdivision (a) and, on a renewed motion, after a verdict or discharge under subdivision (b), with related procedures for conditional new-trial rulings and appeals.

Full Text of Rule 50

Text sizeJump to: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

(a) Judgment as a matter of law. —

(1) In General. — If a party has been fully heard on an issue during a jury trial and the court finds that a reasonable jury would not have a legally sufficient evidentiary basis to find for the party on that issue, the court may:

(A) Resolve the issue against a party; and

(B) Grant a motion for judgment as a matter of law against the party on a claim or defense that, under the controlling law, can be maintained or defeated only with a favorable finding on that issue.

(2) Motion. — A motion for judgment as a matter of law may be made at any time before the case is submitted to the jury. The motion must specify the judgment sought and the law and facts that entitle the movant to the judgment.

(b) Renewing the motion after trial; alternative motion for a new trial. — If the court does not grant a motion for judgment as a matter of law made under subdivision (a), the court is considered to have submitted the action to the jury subject to the court’s later deciding the legal questions raised by the motion. The movant may renew its request for judgment as a matter of law by filing a motion no later than 28 days after the entry of judgment or, if the motion addresses a jury issue not decided by a verdict, no later than 28 days after the jury was discharged. The movant may alternatively request a new trial or join a motion for a new trial under Rule 59. In ruling on a renewed motion, the court may:

(1) If a verdict was returned:

(A) Allow the judgment to stand,

(B) Order a new trial, or

(2) If no verdict was returned:

(A) Order a new trial, or

(B) Direct entry of judgment as a matter of law.

(1) In General. — If the court grants a renewed motion for judgment as a matter of law, the court shall also conditionally rule on the motion for a new trial, if any, by determining whether a new trial should be granted if the judgment is thereafter vacated or reversed. The court shall specify the grounds for conditionally granting or denying the motion for the new trial.

(2) Effect of Conditional Ruling. — If the motion for a new trial is thus conditionally granted, the order thereon does not affect the finality of the judgment. In case the motion for a new trial has been conditionally granted and the judgment is reversed on appeal, the new trial shall proceed unless the appellate court has otherwise ordered. In case the motion for a new trial has been conditionally denied, the appellee on appeal may assert error in that denial; and if the judgment is reversed on appeal, subsequent proceedings shall be in accordance with the order of the appellate court.

(d) Time for a Losing Party’s New Trial Motion. — Any motion for a new trial under Rule 59 by a party against whom judgment as a matter of law is rendered shall be filed no later than 28 days after entry of the judgment.

(e) Denial of Motion for Judgment as a Matter of Law. — If the motion for judgment as a matter of law is denied, the party who prevailed on that motion may, as appellee, assert grounds entitling the party to a new trial in the event the appellate court concludes that the trial court erred in denying the motion for judgment. If the appellate court reverses the judgment, nothing in this rule precludes it from determining that the appellee is entitled to a new trial, or from directing the trial court to determine whether a new trial shall be granted.

End

Amendment History

Added February 2, 2017, effective March 1, 2017.

Plain-English Summary

Rule 50(a) lets the court step in during trial once a party has been fully heard on an issue, if a reasonable jury would not have a legally sufficient evidentiary basis to find for that party on it. The court can resolve the issue against the party and, when the controlling law makes a claim or defense turn on a favorable finding on that issue, grant judgment as a matter of law. Either side can move for this at any time before the case goes to the jury, and the motion has to spell out the judgment sought along with the law and facts supporting it.

If the court does not grant that motion, the case still goes to the jury, but the court is treated as having reserved the underlying legal question for later. The moving party can renew the motion within 28 days after judgment is entered, or within 28 days after the jury is discharged if the motion concerns an issue the verdict never decided, and can ask for a new trial instead of or along with the renewed motion. Once a verdict came back, the court can let it stand, order a new trial, or direct entry of judgment as a matter of law; if no verdict came back at all, the court can only order a new trial or direct judgment as a matter of law. A losing party's own motion for a new trial under Rule 59 is due within that same 28-day window after judgment.

If the court grants a renewed motion for judgment as a matter of law, it must also conditionally rule on any pending new-trial motion, deciding whether a new trial should happen if the judgment is later vacated or reversed, and state its grounds for that conditional ruling. That conditional ruling does not touch the finality of the judgment, but it controls what happens if an appellate court reverses: a conditionally granted new trial goes forward unless the appellate court says otherwise, and a conditionally denied one can be challenged by the appellee if the judgment is reversed. And if the court denies judgment as a matter of law, the party who won that ruling can still argue on appeal, as appellee, that it deserves a new trial if the appellate court decides the trial court should have granted judgment after all.

Frequently Asked Questions

What used to be called a "directed verdict" or "judgment notwithstanding the verdict" — what are they called now?

The pre-verdict motion is judgment as a matter of law under Rule 50(a), what many litigators still call a directed verdict. The post-verdict version, once called judgment notwithstanding the verdict or JNOV, is now the renewed motion for judgment as a matter of law under Rule 50(b), commonly shortened to JMOL.

When can I move for judgment as a matter of law during trial?

At any time before the case is submitted to the jury, once the opposing party has been fully heard on the issue.

How long do I have to renew my motion after trial?

No later than 28 days after entry of judgment, or 28 days after the jury is discharged if the motion addresses an issue the verdict did not decide.

Can I ask for a new trial and judgment as a matter of law at the same time?

Yes. You can request a new trial as an alternative to the renewed motion, or join it with a Rule 59 new-trial motion.

What happens if the court grants my renewed motion for judgment as a matter of law?

It must also conditionally rule on any new-trial motion, deciding and stating whether a new trial should be granted if the judgment is later vacated or reversed on appeal.

Source & verification. Rule text and amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the Wyoming Rules of Civil Procedure, adopted by the Supreme Court of Wyoming. Last verified July 14, 2026. · Official source

Also known as: judgment as a matter of lawJMOLrenewed motion for judgment as a matter of lawdirected verdictjudgment notwithstanding the verdictJNOV