Fact Definition

An actual thing or happening, which is capable of being proved true or false.

Facts must be proved or disproved at trial by the presentation of evidence, and must be evaluated by the finder of fact—a jury in a jury trial, or the judge sitting without a jury in a bench trial—to resolve legal claims and defenses. Because they can be proved true or false, facts are distinguishable from opinions, which generally describe or characterize facts.