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Simple English definitions for legal terms
innocent agent
Read a random definition: per voluntatem hominis
A quick definition of innocent agent:
An innocent agent is someone who unknowingly carries out a task for someone else. For example, if a person asks their friend to deliver a package without knowing that the package contains something illegal, the friend is an innocent agent. The innocent-construction rule is a legal principle that says if a statement is unclear or not harmful, it will be interpreted in a way that is not damaging to the person who made the statement.
A more thorough explanation:
Definition: An innocent agent is someone who unknowingly carries out an illegal or wrongful act on behalf of another person or entity.
For example, if a company hires a contractor to do work for them, and the contractor ends up breaking the law while doing the work, the company may be considered an innocent agent because they did not know about the illegal activity.
The innocent-construction rule is a legal doctrine that states that if a statement is ambiguous or harmless, it will be given an innocuous interpretation. For instance, if someone makes a statement that could be interpreted as defamatory, but it is also possible to interpret it in a non-defamatory way, the innocent-construction rule would require the non-defamatory interpretation to be used.
For example, if someone says "I heard that John is a thief," this statement could be interpreted as defamatory. However, if it is also possible to interpret the statement as "I heard that John was accused of theft, but he was found not guilty," the innocent-construction rule would require the non-defamatory interpretation to be used.