We are not lawyers ... but we need to understand their lexicon (lawyers always have their own lingo only they can understand. Same with doctors, nurses, and engineers)
We spend our waking hours on YouTube and we are always exposed to hearings and debates ... and also their private conversations ... and all we do is scratch our heads because they are using legal terminologies that sound too foreign and alien to our virgin ears ... and our mind wonders what are they talking about.
Let's start decoding and decrypting these words and phrases (it is irreverent for us to enter the sanctum of the in ... but desperate times need desperate measures) so the next time they use these terms again ... we are on the same page with them. Not in limbo.
We will try to dissect and define them in simpler language so ordinary mortals and laymen (the amateur and the non-experts) can actively participate in the discussion ... and at the same time broaden their legal and paralegal stock knowledge,
So our word or phrase that is hitting the headlines today is: PRIMA FACIE.
2. MEANING: You will know the word's meaning at first glance. Prima is a Latin word for "first" and facie is a Latin word for "face". So a prima facie means at first glance ... your first impression ... at face value ... the "first look" or a presumption of what the situation appears to be.
The situation ... no matter how tangled the threads and the strands of the story ... is the most obvious and the most evident .... and is already sufficient and considered TRUE unless otherwise debunked or rebutted.
Unless contradicted ... it is already enough in its face to establish a fact constituting a party's claim or defense.
3. EXAMPLE: In legal contexts, it refers to evidence that is sufficient to establish a fact or raise a presumption unless disproven or rebutted. This concept is crucial in determining whether a case can proceed.
Looking at the investigation of congressmen on good governance ... one political observer notes: "There is a strong prima facie evidence that the Office of the Vice President had done malversation of funds based on testimonies presented."
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