Argumentum Ab Impossibilii Plurimum Valet In Lege Law and Legal Definition
Argumentum ab impossibilii plurimum valet in lege means an argument drawn from inconvenience has much force in law. In certain cases an argument ab inconvenienti has great weight. Generally, such an argument arises in question of construction in court cases, or statutes.
If in a contract deed there are more than one equivocal expressions, and inconvenience follows because of adoption of one expression among them, this will show that the construction is not according to the true intention or meaning of the granter. This results in following another construction that is not followed by such inconvenience. However, if there is only one construction possible from the clear meaning of the deed, that construction will be adopted even if it provides great inconvenience. This is because the granter’s intention is clear from the instrument.
Similarly, in a statute if only one construction can be given to the words of the statute, the statute will be interpreted by that construction even if it causes great inconvenience. This is because the unambiguous intention of the legislature should be followed while constructing a statute.
