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Simple English definitions for legal terms
legal fact
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A quick definition of legal fact:
Legal fact refers to something that is true and can be proven in a court of law. It can be a tangible thing, an event, a relationship, or even a state of mind. Legal facts can trigger specific legal consequences and can be either investitive (conferring rights) or divestitive (causing the loss of rights). Adjudicative facts concern the parties in a legal proceeding and help the court or agency determine how the law applies to them, while legislative facts explain the rationality of a particular law and help determine its content and application.A more thorough explanation:
A legal fact is a fact that triggers a particular legal consequence. It is something that actually exists and can include tangible things, actual occurrences, relationships, intentions, and opinions. Legal facts can be categorized into different types based on their relevance to a legal matter.
- Adjudicative fact: A fact that concerns the parties to a judicial or administrative proceeding and helps the court or agency determine how the law applies to those parties. For example, the jury weighs adjudicative facts in a trial.
- Legislative fact: A fact that explains a particular law's rationality and helps a court or agency determine the law's content and application. Legislative facts are not specific to the parties in a proceeding. For example, a court may consider legislative facts when deciding whether to create or continue a common-law marital privilege.
- Material fact: A fact that is significant or essential to the issue or matter at hand. For example, in a personal injury case, the fact that the defendant was texting while driving may be a material fact.
These examples illustrate how legal facts can be relevant to different aspects of a legal matter and can help determine the outcome of a case.