This summary is not the rule. The rule text controls.
Here's what this rule means in everyday terms.
If you win a motion asking the judge to rule in your favor because the other side didn't present enough evidence (this is called a directed verdict motion), the case still might get appealed. If the person who lost that motion appeals and the appeals court disagrees with the trial judge's decision, you're not out of luck. You can still argue that you deserve a new trial, even though you already won once at the trial court level.
This rule protects the winning party. It means you don't have to just accept defeat if the appeals court overturns the original ruling. You get the chance to raise your own arguments for why a new trial should happen, even though you weren't the one who filed the appeal.
If the appeals court does reverse the trial court's decision, the rule gives them options. They can decide right then that you deserve a new trial, or they can send the case back to the trial court and let that judge decide whether a new trial is the right call. Either way, you still have a path to keep fighting your case even after losing on appeal.
