Legal Definitions - false verdict

A false verdict refers to a judgment or decision rendered by a jury or a judge in a legal case that is later determined to be incorrect, unjust, or unsupported by the evidence and legal principles presented. It implies a significant error in the judicial process that led to an inaccurate outcome, rather than simply a disagreement with the decision.

• Example 1 (Criminal Case - Factual Error): A man is convicted of a serious felony based primarily on mistaken eyewitness identification. Years later, new DNA evidence emerges that conclusively links another individual to the crime scene, proving the convicted man's innocence. In this scenario, the original verdict of "guilty" was a false verdict because it was factually incorrect and led to an unjust conviction.

• Example 2 (Civil Case - Jury Misapplication): In a civil lawsuit concerning a property dispute, the jury, despite clear evidence and instructions from the judge, awards ownership of a contested parcel of land to the plaintiff based on emotional appeals rather than the presented deeds and property law. If a higher court later finds that the jury's decision was not supported by the evidence or the law, that initial ruling could be considered a false verdict due to the jury's misapplication of legal standards.

• Example 3 (Bench Trial - Judicial Error): During a bench trial (a trial decided by a judge without a jury) involving a complex business contract, the judge misinterprets a critical clause in the agreement and applies an incorrect legal precedent, leading to a judgment in favor of one party. If this decision is appealed and a higher court determines that the judge made a significant error of law in reaching their conclusion, the original judgment would be deemed a false verdict because it was legally unsound.