If a defendant pays the judgment and then requests an appeal, the appeal is moot because the judgment has been satisfied.

• A. False
• B. True
• C. It becomes a separate proceeding
• D. The appeal is postponed

Answer: (B)

Mootness in appeals hinges on there being a live controversy. When the defendant pays the judgment, the dispute is resolved to the extent of that judgment, and the precise relief an appeal would provide (reversing or reducing the judgment) can no longer affect the parties. Since the monetary remedy has been satisfied, there’s nothing the appellate court can grant that would change the current situation. That’s why the appeal is considered moot and typically dismissed. In some narrow cases, an appeal might still address separate legal issues or remedies that survive payment, but the primary effect of payment is to render the appeal moot.