MLchartDataset catalogue

Hostile witness

Term · Law · MLC-T-LAW-002461

A witness in a legal proceeding who demonstrates antagonism or unwillingness to testify truthfully or cooperatively for the party who called them. When declared hostile by the court, the examining attorney is permitted to ask leading questions and impeach the witness's credibility. This declaration is typically made after the witness exhibits evasiveness or contradicts prior statements.

Table 1. Record
IdentifierMLC-T-LAW-002461
FieldLaw
Record as JSON 
{
  "id": "MLC-T-LAW-002461",
  "term": "Hostile witness",
  "field": "Law",
  "definition": "A witness in a legal proceeding who demonstrates antagonism or unwillingness to testify truthfully or cooperatively for the party who called them. When declared hostile by the court, the examining attorney is permitted to ask leading questions and impeach the witness's credibility. This declaration is typically made after the witness exhibits evasiveness or contradicts prior statements.",
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/law/hostile-witness/"
}

Record 2,381 of 5,445 in Law terminology (MLC-0107). Request the full dataset.