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Rule 41 Interest on Judgments

I. Disposition of Appeals

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Rule Text

If a judgment for money in a civil case is affirmed or the appeal is dismissed, whatever interest is allowed by law shall be payable computed from the date of the verdict of the jury or the equivalent determined by the court in a non-jury case, which date shall be set forth in the judgment entered in the trial court. If a judgment is modified or reversed with a direction that a judgment for money be entered in the trial court, the mandate shall contain instructions with respect to allowance of interest.

Amendment history: [As amended effective July 1, 1980.]

Plain-English Summary (for reference only — not a substitute for the rule text above)

This summary is not the rule. The rule text controls.

When you win a money judgment in a civil case and the other side appeals but loses, you still get interest on that money. This rule explains how that interest is calculated. The interest starts adding up from the date the jury gave its verdict, or if there was no jury, from the date the judge made the decision. That date has to be written down in the official judgment from the trial court.

If the appeals court changes the judgment or sends the case back to the trial court with instructions to enter a new money judgment, the appeals court will also give specific directions about how interest should be handled in that situation. This means the interest rules can look different depending on whether the original judgment stayed the same or got changed on appeal.

In simple terms, this rule makes sure that if you're owed money from a court case, you don't lose out on interest just because the case took time to work through the appeals process. It also makes clear that the exact date used to start counting interest matters, and that date has to be part of the official court record.

Committee Notes

Advisory Commission Comments.

This rule does not modify any existing law providing for interest before judgment, nor does it affect the rate of interest. The second sentence permits flexibility in cases in which a judgment is modified or reversed. The rule expressly provides for the allowance of interest if an appeal is dismissed as well as if the judgment is affirmed.

Advisory Commission Comments [1980].

The change in the first sentence of Rule 41 deals with the computation of interest in civil actions in both jury and non-jury cases. The existing rule provides for interest from the date of entry of judgment. The amendment provides for interest from the time of the announcement of a jury verdict or of announcement of decision by the trial judge. The reason for the amendment is that there sometimes is a delay between the announcement of the jury verdict or announcement of decision by the trial judge and the formal entry of judgment.

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Last updated: August 2026

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