Legal Definitions - administrative collateral estoppel

Definition: Administrative collateral estoppel is a legal principle that prevents a party from relitigating an issue that has already been decided by an administrative agency acting in a judicial capacity.

Example: Suppose a company is fined by a regulatory agency for violating environmental regulations. The company appeals the decision, but the appeal is denied. Later, a group of citizens files a lawsuit against the company for the same environmental violations. The company cannot relitigate the issue of whether it violated the environmental regulations because of administrative collateral estoppel.

This example illustrates how administrative collateral estoppel prevents a party from relitigating an issue that has already been decided by an administrative agency acting in a judicial capacity. In this case, the company cannot challenge the finding of the regulatory agency in a subsequent lawsuit brought by a different party.