Case in Chief

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CASE IN CHIEF

The portion of a trial whereby the party with theburden of proofin the case presents its evidence. The term differs from a rebuttal, whereby a party seeks to contradict the other party's evidence. Case in chief differs from "case" in that the latter term encompasses the evidence presented by both the party with the burden of proof and the party with the burden of rebutting that evidence.

further readings

Glannon, Joseph W. 2001. Civil Procedure: Examples and Explanations. Gaithersburg, VA: Aspen Law & Business.

Kane, Mary Kay. 1996. Civil Procedure in a Nutshell. 4th ed. St. Paul, Minn.: West Group.

cross-references

Burden of Proof; Rebut.

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