prima facie case

American  

noun

Law.

1. a case in which the evidence produced is sufficient to enable a decision or verdict to be made unless the evidence is rebutted.

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Etymology

Origin of prima facie case

First recorded in 1890–95

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

prima facie case

Uefa's ethics and disciplinary inspector says there is a prima facie case against the Argentina international.

From BBC ● Feb. 23, 2026

Scott is the first example of a state appellate court holding that evidence of implicit racial bias in policing establishes a prima facie case of racial discrimination justifying the exclusion of evidence.

From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2023

That has not stopped critics questioning why charges were dropped after four years in court and after a judge had already ruled that prosecutors had established a prima facie case.

From Reuters ● Sep. 16, 2023

But under the law, to pierce the attorney-client privilege, the government must prove a prima facie case and prove that communications were made to further a fraud or crime.

From Salon ● Mar. 28, 2023

Monophysitism can make out a strong prima facie case.

From Monophysitism Past and Present A Study in Christology by A. A. (Arthur Aston) Luce

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