legal proof
Courtroom supporting documentation
Legal proof is the evidence and argumentation sufficient to establish a fact or conclusion in a court of law.
Unlike scientific or mathematical proof, which aims for certainty, legal proof operates on standards like "preponderance of the evidence" in civil cases or "beyond a reasonable doubt" in criminal ones.
The prosecution failed to meet its burden of legal proof.
What constitutes legal proof varies by jurisdiction and the type of proceeding.
- physical evidenceTangible items proving facts
- documentary evidenceWritten proof of facts
- paper trailDocumentary evidence chain
- chain of custodyDocumented evidence handling sequence
- digital evidenceElectronically stored proof material
criminal trials · admissibility · rules of evidence · expert testimony · material witness · testimonial evidence · sworn testimony · reasonable doubt · clear and convincing · civil litigation · beyond reasonable doubt · prima facie · witness · forensic evidence · exhibit · court record · authentication · discovery process
- evidenceevidence, evidence bag, circumstantial evidence, admissible, findings
- death recordsdeath certificate, death record, death certificates, vital records, death notice
- legal presumptionspresumption, presumption of innocence, presumption of death
- title documentstitle deed, car title, certificate of title, property deed, land deed
legal proofhearsay
Unverified secondhand information
inadmissible evidence · speculation · conjecture · rumor · gossip
legal proofguesswork
Conclusions drawn without proof
assumption · hypothesis · belief · hunch · suspicion
legal proofhearsay
Unverified secondhand information
secondhand account · anonymous tip · fabricated evidence · false testimony · perjury