How Often Is Perjury Proven In Litigation ?
When you lie under oath in a judicial proceeding, it is known as perjury. It is deliberately telling a lie in the court after taking an oath to tell the truth and nothing but the truth. When a person tells a lie under oath and it affects the outcome of the case, it is known as perjury. |
However, when a person lies and the lie does not affect the outcome, it is not considered perjury. For instance, it is okay to lie about your age as long as it is not an important part of the case.
Perjury is considered to be a very serious crime and prosecutors threaten to prosecute those who perjure themselves. However, only very small numbers of cases are actually prosecuted because perjury is very difficult to prove.
So, how often is perjury proven in litigation? The answer to this question will have to be rarely. It is very difficult to prove in court that a person deliberately lied about the facts rather than suffering from a bad memory.
When a person gives imprecise and ambiguous answers, it is not sufficient to support prosecution. This is even when the answers could cause doubts about the person's credibility. Just having proof that a witness lied is not enough to prove perjury and even when there is proof that a witness lied intentionally is not sufficient to prove perjury.
Most courts give the benefit of doubt to the witness when he gives vague answers as the witness may not be aware of what perjurious response is. That is why it is very difficult to prove perjury in litigation.
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