Ore Tenus Rule Law and Legal Definition
Ore tenus rule is a legal presumption that a trial court's findings of fact are correct and should not be disturbed unless clearly wrong or unjust. This rule is grounded upon the principle that when the trial court hears oral testimony it has an opportunity to evaluate the demeanor and credibility of witnesses.
The following is an example of a case law defining Ore Tenus Rule :
The ore tenus rule provides that a trial court's findings of fact based on oral testimony "have the effect of a jury's verdict," and a judgment, grounded on such findings, is accorded, on appeal, a presumption of correctness which will not be disturbed unless plainly erroneous or manifestly unjust.[Smiley v. State, 2010 Ala. LEXIS 78 (Ala. May 7, 2010)]
