Exam 6: Case Law Analysis: Is a Case on Point

A case is precedent (on point)if there is a sufficient similarity between the key facts and rule of law or legal principle of the court opinion and the matter before the subsequent court.

Precedent is:

A case that is on point should be analyzed to help the attorney determine what course of action to take.

Stare decisis is an earlier court decision on an issue that governs or guides a subsequent court in its determination of an identical or similar issue based on identical or similar key facts.

A ruling of the highest court in State B may be mandatory precedent for the lower courts in State A.

The doctrine of precedent is a basic principle of the common-law system that requires a court to follow a previous decision of that court or a higher court in the jurisdiction when the current decision involves issues and key facts similar to those involved in the previous decision.

When there is a major difference in the key facts of a court opinion and the key facts of the client's case, the opinion cannot be on point.

The terms precedent and on point are often used interchangeably.

A court opinion interpreting a common-law rule or principle may apply as precedent for a client's case that requires the application of a different common-law rule or principle.

The phrase on all fours is used to describe opinions where the facts of the opinion and those of the client's case and the rule of law that applies are identical or so similar that the court opinion is clearly on point.

Persuasive precedent must be followed by the lower courts in the jurisdiction.

A court opinion that a court looks to for guidance when reaching a decision, but is not bound to follow, is referred to as:

The determination of whether a case is on point must be made before the case may apply as precedent.

The determination of whether a case is on point is important because of the doctrines of precedent and stare decisis.

In order for a case to be on point, the key and background facts of the court opinion must be sufficiently similar to the key and background facts of the client's case.

If the law applied in the court opinion is different from the law that applies to the client's case, the opinion can be:

When the key facts of the court opinion and the key facts of the client's case are not similar, if the substitution of the key facts would not result in changing the outcome of the case, the court opinion can be used as precedent.

In order for a case to be on point, three requirements must be met.

Stare decisis is:

Case law analysis is the process of determining if a court opinion governs or affects the outcome of a client's case.