What does "judgment notwithstanding the verdict" (JNOV) entail?

"Judgment notwithstanding the verdict," commonly referred to as JNOV, is a legal mechanism that allows a judge to overrule a jury's verdict when it is determined that the verdict is not supported by the evidence presented during the trial. Essentially, this means that after a jury has rendered its decision, a party may request the court to enter a judgment that is contrary to the jury's findings based on the argument that there was not sufficient evidence to support the verdict reached by the jury.

In this context, the concept of JNOV is critical as it serves as a safeguard to ensure that the jury's conclusions are grounded in substantial evidence. If the court finds that reasonable jurors could not have reached the same conclusion given the evidence, it could grant the JNOV, effectively dismissing the jury's verdict and rendering a judgment in favor of the opposing party or a different outcome altogether.

The other options represent different legal concepts that do not accurately capture the nature of JNOV. For instance, a motion to dismiss the entire case pertains to a pre-trial request arguing that the case lacks legal merit, while a type of appeal to the appellate court involves seeking a review of a lower court’s decision instead of challenging the jury verdict post-trial. Additionally,