Legal Definitions - Ultimate fact

An ultimate fact is a crucial, high-level fact that a court or jury must determine to be true for a party to win their legal claim or defense. It represents the essential conclusion necessary for a specific legal outcome. While many smaller, detailed pieces of evidence (known as "evidentiary facts") are presented during a trial, these facts collectively serve to establish or disprove an ultimate fact. If an ultimate fact cannot be proven, the associated claim or defense will fail.

• Example 1: Contract Dispute

  Imagine a small business owner sues a software developer, claiming the developer failed to deliver a custom application as promised in their agreement.

  The ultimate fact that the business owner needs to prove is: A legally binding contract existed between the business owner and the software developer.

  To establish this, the business owner would present evidentiary facts such as signed contracts, email exchanges detailing the project scope, invoices, and payment records. If the court ultimately finds that no valid, enforceable contract was ever formed, the business owner's claim for breach of contract cannot succeed, regardless of whether the software was delivered or not.

• Example 2: Personal Injury Claim

  Consider a situation where a cyclist sues a car driver after a collision, alleging the driver was at fault for their injuries.

  The ultimate fact the cyclist must prove is: The car driver acted negligently, and this negligence directly caused the cyclist's injuries.

  To support this, evidentiary facts might include witness statements about the driver running a stop sign, police reports, medical records detailing the injuries, and expert testimony on the mechanics of the collision. If the court or jury concludes that the driver was not negligent, or that their actions did not directly cause the cyclist's injuries, then the cyclist's claim for compensation will fail.