NJ · jury_instructions
N.J. Model Civil Jury Charge 1.12L
Credibility (long version)
1.12 GENERAL PROVISIONS FOR STANDARD CHARGE
(Approved 11/98)
L. Credibility (long version)
In deciding the facts of this case, you will have to decide which witnesses to
believe and which witnesses not to believe. You may be lieve everything a witness
says or only part of it or none of it.
In deciding what to believe here are some factors you may want to consider.
1. Does the witness have an intere st in the outcome of this case?
2. How good and accurate is the witness' recollection?
3. What was the witness' ability to know what he/she was talking about?
4. Were there any contradictions or changes in the witness' testimony?
Did the witness say one thing at one time and something different at
some other time? If so, you may consider whether or not the
discrepancy involves a matter of importance or whether it results from
an innocent mistake or willful lie. You may consider any explanation
that the witness gave explaining the inconsistency.
5. You may consider the demeanor of the witness. By that I mean the
way the witness acted, the way the witness talked, or the way the
witness reacted to certain questions.
6. Use your common sense when evalua ting the testimony of a witness.
If a witness told you something that did not make sense, you have a
right to reject that testimony. On the other hand if what the witness
said seemed reasonable and logical , you have a right to accept that
testimony.
7. Is the witness' testimony reasonable when considered in the light of
other evidence that you believe?
History
(Approved 11/98)
Provenance
- Source
- njcourts.gov
- Retrieved
- 2026-08-20
- Edition
- 2026-08-20
- Content hash
87dd62984d0f4e5b1cf9b53f914a4bf341b9b227a479da5d9dc5ae8b93490c30
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