Falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus is a Latin[2]maxim[3] meaning "false in one thing, false in everything".[4] At common law, it is the legal principle that a witness who falsely testifies about one matter is not credible to testify about any matter.[5] While many common law jurisdictions reject categorical application of the rule, the doctrine survives in some American courts.[6]
^Enying Li v. Holder, 738 F.3d 1160 (9th Cir. 2013) (upholding doctrine).
^Jackson, Latin for Lawyers, 1915, reprinted 1992, p 158
^Enying Li v. Holder. "Falsus in Uno, Falsus in Omnibus" (1888) 1 National Law Review 303. Judicial and Statutory Definitions of Words and Phrases, Second Series, West Publishing Company, 1914, vol 2, p 303. Bosanac, Litigation Logic: A Practical Guide to Effective Argument, ABA, 2009, p 84. Beach, A Treatise on the Modern Practice in Equity, 1894, vol 1, p 406.
^Enying Li v. Holder, 738 F.3d 1160, 1165 (9th Cir. 2013) (defining phrase).
^Kanawha & M. Ry. Co. v. Kerse, 239U.S.576, 581 (1916) ("[T]he jury may reasonably have concluded that their testimony should be rejected in toto ...")
^George Fisher, The Jury's Rise As Lie Detector, 107 Yale L. J. 575, 713 (1997).