Operation and Effect of Presumptions in Civil Proceedings: An Inquiry into the interpretation of Art 2024 of the Ethiopian Civil Code
Abstract
‘Presumption’ is an ambiguous term that one often finds in substantive and procedural laws. The controversy regarding the operation and effect of ‘presumption’ in civil proceedings has not yet been conclusively resolved despite efforts of scholars. In Ethiopia, it has been subject to different judicial interpretations. The Cassation Division of the Federal Supreme Court has adopted a binding interpretation of Art 2024 of the Civil Code on the presumption of payment of debts. Yet, the propriety of this authoritative interpretation has become contentious. This Article examines the operations and effects of presumptions in civil actions in general and inquires into the propriety of the precedent adopted by the Cassation Division. It argues that the Division’s interpretation needs to be reconsidered when the issue arises in future cases. Key words: Presumptions, kinds of presumption, rebuttable presumptions of law, operation of presumptions, effects of presumption, persuasive & evidential presumptions.a) Copyright of the content of the articles shall be retained by the author subject to the condition that it cannot be republished in another journal. The reproduction of the article as book chapter requires the acknowledgement of its prior publication in Mizan Law Review.
b) An author is entitled to deposit her/his published article in any Open Access repository subject to the condition that the format and layout shall not be changed. Depositing a post-publication version in any repository requires acknowledgement of the earlier version by indicating the Volume, Issue and page numbers of the version published in Mizan Law Review.
c) Articles published in Mizan Law Review are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC BY-NC-ND)
Privacy Statement
a) Where the Editorial Team deems it necessary, the editors may remove precise reference to names of individuals in case comments.
b) The names and email addresses submitted to and published in Mizan Law Review shall not be made available for any other purpose or to any other party.
Disclaimer
Opinions expressed in articles, comments, case comments and sharing thoughts do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Team, or the publisher of the journal, i.e., Center for Law in Sustainable Development, St. Mary’s University.