Factors

Facts

class authorityspoke.facts.Fact(predicate, terms=(), name=None, standard_of_proof=None, absent=False, generic=False, anchors=None, truth=None)

An assertion accepted as factual by a court.

Often based on factfinding by a judge or jury.

Facts may be “alleged” by a pleading, “supported” by evidence, or “found” to be factual by a jury verdict or a judge’s finding of fact.

Parameters

• predicate (Predicate) – a natural-language clause with zero or more slots to insert terms that are typically the subject and objects of the clause.

• terms (TermSequence) – a series of Factor objects that fill in the blank spaces in the predicate statement.

• name (Optional[str]) – an identifier for this object, often used if the object needs to be referred to multiple times in the process of composing other Factor objects.

• standard_of_proof (Optional[str]) – a descriptor for the degree of certainty associated with the assertion in the predicate.

• absent (bool) – whether the absence, rather than the presence, of the legal fact described above is being asserted.

• generic (bool) – whether this object could be replaced by another generic object of the same class without changing the truth of the Rule in which it is mentioned.

Attr standards_of_proof

a tuple with every allowable name for a standard of proof, in order from weakest to strongest.

Exhibits

class authorityspoke.evidence.Exhibit(form=None, statement=None, statement_attribution=None, name=None, absent=False, generic=False, anchors=<factory>)

A source of information for use in litigation.

Parameters

• form (Optional[str]) – a term describing the category of exhibit. For example: testimony, declaration, document, or recording.

• statement (Optional[Fact]) – a fact assertion made via the exhibit. For instance, if the exhibit is a document, this parameter could refer to a statement printed on the document.

• statement_attribution (Optional[Entity]) – the Entity that the exhibit imputes the statement to. For instance, for a signed declaration, this would refer to the person whose signature appears on the declaration, regardless of any authentication concerns. The statement_attribution parameter may appear without the statement parameter, especially if the content of the statement is irrelevant.

• name (Optional[str]) – a string identifier for the exhibit

• absent (bool) – if True, indicates that no exhibit meeting the description exists in the litigation. If the exhibit has merely been rejected as evidence, use the absent attribute on an Evidence object instead.

• generic (bool) – if True, indicates that the specific attributes of the exhibit are irrelevant in the context of the Holding where the exhibit is being referenced.

Evidence

class authorityspoke.evidence.Evidence(exhibit=None, to_effect=None, name=None, absent=False, generic=False, anchors=<factory>)

An Exhibit admitted by a court to aid a factual determination.

Parameters

• exhibit (Optional[Exhibit]) – the thing that is being used to aid a factual determination

• to_effect (Optional[Fact]) – the Fact finding that would be supported by the evidence. If the Fact object includes a non-null standard_of_proof attribute, it indicates that that the evidence would support a factual finding by that standard of proof.

• name (Optional[str]) – a string identifier

• absent (bool) – if True, indicates that no evidence meeting the description has been admitted, regardless of whether a corresponding Exhibit has been presented

• generic (bool) – if True, indicates that the specific attributes of the evidence are irrelevant in the context of the Holding where the evidence is being referenced.

Pleadings

class authorityspoke.pleadings.Pleading(filer=None, name=None, absent=False, generic=False)

A document filed by a party to make Allegations.

Parameters

• filer (Optional[Entity]) – the Entity that the pleading references as having filed it, regardless of any questions about the identification of the filer.

• name (Optional[str]) –

• absent (bool) –

• generic (bool) –

Allegations

class authorityspoke.pleadings.Allegation(statement=None, pleading=None, name=None, absent=False, generic=False)

A formal assertion of a Fact.

May be included by a party in a Pleading to establish a cause of action.

Parameters

• statement (Optional[Fact]) – a Fact being alleged

• pleading (Optional[Pleading]) – the Pleading in where the allegation appears

• name (Optional[str]) –

• absent (bool) –

• generic (bool) –