Bifurcate, in legal terms, refers to the separation or division of a legal proceeding into two or more distinct stages or issues. This typically occurs when a court decides to address certain aspects of a case separately from others, often for reasons of procedural efficiency or clarity. Bifurcation allows parties to focus on specific issues or matters at different stages of the litigation process, which can streamline proceedings, expedite resolution, or simplify complex cases. Common reasons for bifurcation include separating liability and damages issues, resolving threshold legal questions before trial, or addressing preliminary matters before proceeding to a full trial. By bifurcating proceedings, courts can effectively manage cases and ensure that each aspect of the dispute receives proper consideration and adjudication.
To separate the issues in a case so that one issue or set of issues can be tried and resolved before the others. For example, death penalty cases are always bifurcated. The court or jury first hears the evidence of guilt and reaches a verdict, and then hears evidence about and decides upon which punishment to impose (death or life in prison without parole). Bifurcated trials are also common in product liability class action lawsuits in which many people claim that they were injured by the same defective product — the issue of liability is tried first, followed by the question of damages. Bifurcation is authorized by Rule 42(b) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
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This glossary post was last updated: 29th March, 2024.
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