Let’s break it down. Prima facie (pronounced PRY-mah FAY-shee ) is Latin for “at first sight” or “on its face.”
But what does prima facie actually mean? And more importantly—why should you care? prima facie script
If your evidence holds, you overcome the prima facie case. Let’s break it down
If you have no evidence? The prima facie assumption stands. You pay the ticket. Prima facie isn’t just legal jargon. It’s a mental tool for handling uncertainty. It says: Start here, with what’s obvious. But stay open to being proven wrong. If your evidence holds, you overcome the prima facie case
Now the burden shifts . Your neighbor must provide evidence to the contrary (e.g., “Someone pushed my car into yours,” or “You parked illegally in the middle of the road”).
Your rebuttal? “Officer, I entered the intersection when it was yellow, and it turned red after I was already through. Here’s my dashcam footage.”
You’ve heard the phrase. Maybe in a legal drama (“Your Honor, the prosecution has failed to make a prima facie case”). Maybe in a philosophy class. Or maybe you just saw the title of Jodie Comer’s hit one-woman play on Broadway.