Legal Definitions - corroboration

Corroboration refers to the act of providing additional evidence or support to strengthen the credibility or truthfulness of an existing statement, claim, or piece of evidence. It's about finding independent information that confirms or backs up something that has already been presented, making it more believable or reliable.

Here are some examples illustrating corroboration:

• Imagine a witness in a criminal trial testifies that they saw the defendant fleeing the scene of a robbery wearing a distinctive blue jacket. If police later find a security camera video from a nearby store that clearly shows the defendant, at the approximate time of the robbery, running away while wearing that exact blue jacket, this video footage serves as corroboration for the witness's testimony. The independent video evidence strengthens the witness's account, making it more credible to the jury.

• Consider a situation where a small business owner claims a client owes them $5,000 for consulting services. The business owner presents an invoice and their own testimony. If they can also produce a series of emails where the client acknowledged receipt of the services, discussed payment terms, and even made a partial payment, these emails and payment records would corroborate the business owner's claim. They provide independent documentary evidence that supports the assertion of the outstanding debt.

• In a family law case, a parent alleges that their former spouse consistently fails to pick up their child for scheduled visitation, causing emotional distress to the child. The parent provides a detailed log of missed visitations. If the child's school counselor or teacher also provides a statement confirming that the child frequently expresses disappointment and sadness on days when the non-custodial parent was expected but did not show up, this independent observation from a professional would corroborate the parent's claims about the missed visitations and their impact.