Res Judicata Latin a thing adjudicated an issue that has been definitively settled by judicial decision.

. An affirmative defense barring the same parties from litigating a second lawsuit on the same claim, or any other claim arising from the same transactions or series of transactions and that could have been but was not raised in the first suit. In Villanueva vs. CA, 285 SCRA 180, the requisites of Res Judicata were succinctly expressed. The requisites of res judicata are the following: a. Former Judgement or Order must be Final b. Judgment or Order on the merits, that is, the Judgment was rendered after a consideration of the evidence or stipulations submitted by the parties at the trial of the case c. Rendered by a court having jurisdiction over the subject matter and parties d. Identity of parties, subject matter, and cause of action. This requisite is satisfied if the two (2) actions are substantially between the same parties. In Salud vs. Court of Appeals, the general policies of the doctrine of Res Judicata were succinctly expressed. The general policies of the doctrine of Res Judicata are the following: a. No person should be twice vexed by the same claim b. It is the interest of the state that there be an end to litigation Res Judicata thus conserves scarce judicial resources and promotes efficiency in the interest of the public at large. Relitigation creates risk of inconsistent results and presents embarrassing problem of determining which of two conflicting decisions is to be preferred. Since there is no reason to suppose that the second or third determination of a claim necessarily is more accurate than the first, the first should be left undisturbed. The most important purpose of Res Judicata is to provide repose for both party litigants and the public.