Short answer. Yes. A petition for relief from judgment lets you go back to the very court that decided the case and ask it to set aside a judgment, order, or proceeding entered against you through fraud, accident, mistake, or excusable negligence, even though it has already become final.
What the law says
When a judgment or final order is entered, or any other proceeding is thereafter taken against a party in any court through fraud, accident, mistake, or excusable negligence, he may file a petition in such court and in the same case praying that the judgment, order or proceeding be set aside.
Rule 38, Section 1 — Petition for relief from judgment, order, or other proceedings. Read the full provision →
An extraordinary remedy for a finished case
A petition for relief from judgment is different from an ordinary motion or appeal — it is aimed at a judgment or order that has already been entered, meaning the usual chance to contest it in that proceeding has passed. It is filed in the same court and the same case, asking that court to reopen what would otherwise be a closed matter.
The four grounds the rule recognizes
Relief is available only where the judgment, order, or proceeding was taken against the party through fraud, accident, mistake, or excusable negligence. These are specific grounds, not a general "I disagree with the outcome" standard — the party has to show that one of these four things is what kept them from properly presenting their side before the judgment became final.
Why courts treat this remedy carefully
Because a petition for relief reaches back into a case that has already concluded, it sits uneasily against the principle that final judgments should stay final. That tension is exactly why the rule limits relief to these narrow grounds rather than allowing any dissatisfied party to reopen a decided case. A party relying on this remedy should be prepared to show concretely how fraud, accident, mistake, or excusable negligence actually prevented them from being heard, rather than simply arguing that the outcome was wrong on the merits.
It is filed where the case was decided
The petition goes to the same court, in the same case — not to a higher court, and not as a fresh lawsuit. That distinguishes it from an appeal, which asks a different, higher tribunal to review the decision. Anyone considering this route should be clear that they are asking the original court to revisit its own ruling, not asking another court to overturn it. It also applies beyond judgments themselves, reaching any other proceeding taken against the party through the same four grounds.