Legal Question in Civil Litigation in California
Is substantial evidence, evidence that can win a case in court with just one document? Please explain, thank you
2 Answers from Attorneys
All substantial means is that the evidence is very strong in proving the point being made. It does not mean one document will win the case, but if there is no contrary substantial evidence then the party has probably meet it burden by producing that evidence.
Actually, "substantial evidence" to support a judgment is any amount of legally significant evidence that is admissible and is believed to be true or accepted by the factfinder (judge or jury). One document can outweigh a hundred conflicting documents, in theory, if the factfinder chooses to believe or accept that one document over the others. The term is most often associated with appellate standards of review, where a Court of Appeal will affirm a judgment if it is supported by even the slightest amount of relevant and admissible evidence, even if that evidence is "outweighed" by alot of other evidence. That slight amount of evidence is considered "substantial evidence."
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