Under res judicata, which claim is precluded when arising out of the same transaction?

• A. A claim precluded if arising out of the same transaction
• B. A divorce claim is always precluded
• C. A personal injury claim is always precluded
• D. A breach of contract claim is never precluded

Answer: (A)

Res judicata bars a claim that arises from the same transaction or occurrence as a claim that was already decided in a prior suit, provided the parties (or their privies) were the same and the prior judgment was final on the merits. So, when a new claim springs from the same transaction as a previously adjudicated case, it cannot be litigated again. That is why the statement stating that a claim arising from the same transaction is precluded is the best description of how res judicata operates. The other statements aren’t correct because divorce claims, personal injury claims, or breach-of-contract claims aren’t universally precluded simply by virtue of linkage to a prior action; they depend on whether they arise from the same transaction, involve the same parties, and could have been raised in the earlier suit, with a final judgment on the merits.