Res gestae

Res gestae

:"This article is for the legal term 'Res Gestae'. For the article on the record of the accomplishments of the first Roman emperor, Augustus, see the article for Res Gestae Divi Augusti."

"Res gestae" (Latin "things done") is a term found in substantive and procedural American jurisprudence and English Law

Res Gestae in Rules of Evidence

Under the Federal Rules of Evidence, Res Gestae is an exception to the rule against Hearsay evidence. Res gestae is based on the belief that because certain statements are made naturally, spontaneously and without deliberation during the course of an event, they leave little room for misunderstanding/misinterpretation upon hearing by someone else (i.e. by the witness who will later repeat the statement to the court) and thus the courts believe that such statements carry a high degree of credibility. Statements which can be admitted into evidence as "Res gestae" fall into three headings:

# Words or phrases which either form part of, or explain, a physical act,
# Exclamations which are so spontaneous as to belie concoction, and
# Statements which are evidence as to someone's state of mind.

(In some jurisdictions the "Res gestae" exception has also been used to admit police sketches.) [Commonwealth v. Dugan, 381 A.2d 967 (Pa. Super. 1977)]

The following scenario is an example of types one and two:

Imagine then a young woman standing on the side of a main road (the witness). She sees some commotion across the street. On the opposite side of the road to her she sees an old man shout 'The bank is being robbed!' as a young man runs out of a building and away down the street. The old man is never found (so can't appear in court and repeat what he said) but the woman repeats what she heard him say. Such a statement would be considered trustworthy for the purpose of admission as evidence because the statement was made concurrently with the event and there is little chance that the witness repeating the hearsay could have misunderstood its meaning or the speaker's intentions.

Under the Federal Rules of Evidence, Res Gestae may also be used to demonstrate that certain character evidence, otherwise excludable under the provisions of Rule 404, is permissible, as the events in question are part of the "ongoing narrative", or sequence of events which are necessary to define the action at hand.

Res Gestae in Criminal Law

In certain felony murder statutes, "Res Gestae" is a term defining the overall start-to-end sequence of the underlying felony. Generally, a felony's Res Gestae must be interrupted by a point in which the defendants have achieved a position of relative safety from law enforcement for the underlying felony to be considered terminated.clarifyme|date=July2008

English Law

For a technical explanation of Res gestae under English law See: [http://www.wikicrimeline.co.uk/index.php?title=Res_gestae WikiCrimeLine Res gestae]

Other Uses

"Res gestae" is also used to refer to those facts or things done which form the basis or gravamen for a legal action.

Links

For a graphical explanation See: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xi5LESZ7_Kc]

Notes


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • res gestae — res ges·tae / rās ges ˌtī, rēz jes ˌtē/ n pl [Latin, things done, deeds] 1: the acts, facts, circumstances, statements, or occurrences that form the environment of a main act or event and esp. of a crime and are so closely connected to it that… …   Law dictionary

  • Res Gestae — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Les Res gestae divi Augusti (Actes du divin Auguste), testament politique d Auguste. Les Res gestae (Actes), ouvrage d histoire en trente et un livres d… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Res Gestae. — (Indiana State Bar Assoc.) …   Black's law dictionary

  • res gestae — [jes′tē, jes′tā, jes′tī΄] pl.n. [L, lit., things done, deeds] Law facts that are so closely connected with the occurrence in question as to be considered a part of it, and are thus admissible as evidence …   English World dictionary

  • Res Gestae — Mit dem lateinischen Begriff Res Gestae (Tatenbericht) kann gemeint sein: Res Gestae Divi Augusti, der bekannte Tatenbericht des ersten römischen Kaisers Augustus das Geschichtswerk des Ammianus Marcellinus die so genannten res gestae divi… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Res gestae — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Les Res gestae divi Augusti (Actes du divin Auguste), testament politique d Auguste. Les Res gestae (Actes), ouvrage d histoire en trente et un livres d… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • res gestae — /reez jes tee, rays / 1. things done; accomplishments; deeds. 2. Law. the acts, circumstances, and statements that are incidental to the principal fact of a litigated matter and are admissible in evidence in view of their relevant association… …   Universalium

  • Res gestae (auguste) — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Res gestae. Un fragment des Res Gestae. Les Res Gestae Divi Augusti (les Actes du divin Auguste) e …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Res Gestae Divi Augusti — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Parte del Res gestae Divi Augusti. Res Gestae Divi Augusti, (Latín: Los escritos de Divino Augusto ) es la inscripción funeraria del primer emperador del Imperio Romano, Octavio César Augusto, que nos ofrece un… …   Wikipedia Español

  • res gestae witness — (rayz jest eye) A witness who has experienced an event firsthand and can therefore testify about what happened. Category: Small Claims Court & Lawsuits Nolo’s Plain English Law Dictionary. Gerald N. Hill, Kathleen Thompson Hill. 2009 …   Law dictionary

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