res ipsa
Law & Legal abbreviation · Latin Legal
| Stands for | Res ipsa loquitur (the thing speaks for itself) |
|---|---|
| Categories | Law & Legal |
res ipsa stands for Res ipsa loquitur (the thing speaks for itself), a Latin legal abbreviation.
Shortened name of a tort doctrine allowing a jury to infer negligence from an accident that ordinarily does not happen without negligence, when the cause was under the defendant's control. Lawyers speak of a "res ipsa case" or a "res ipsa instruction".
Example: Plaintiff's counsel argued res ipsa because a surgical sponge was left inside the patient.
Usage notes
The doctrine traces to Byrne v. Boadle (1863), an English case in which a barrel of flour fell from a warehouse window onto a passerby. In most states it permits but does not require an inference of negligence, while a few treat it as creating a presumption. Pronounced "rays IP-sah".
Related abbreviations
More Latin legal abbreviations
- c.t.a. – Cum testamento annexo (with the will annexed)
- cert. – Certiorari
- Cur. adv. vult – Curia advisari vult (the court wishes to consider)
- d.b.n. – De bonis non (of goods not administered)
- et ux. – Et uxor (and wife)
- ex p. – Ex parte (on the application of)
- ex rel. – Ex relatione (on the relation of)
- fi. fa. – Fieri facias (that you cause to be made)
- habeas – Habeas corpus (you should have the body)
- i.a. – Inter alia (among other things)
- IFP – In forma pauperis (in the manner of a pauper)
- JNOV – Judgment non obstante veredicto (judgment notwithstanding the verdict)
See all 22 Latin legal abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not legal advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.