Prima facie usage

[sanchalanam]

Is it the correct usage of Prima facie in this sentence. please advice.
"Prima facie I cannot believe that this is the actual issue,it could be just a coincidence."
Sanchi

[Teia]

Originally Posted by sanchalanam

Is it the correct usage of Prima facie in this sentence. please advice.
"Prima facie I cannot believe that this is the actual issue,it could be just a coincidence."
Sanchi

I don`t think that prima facie is correctly used here. The context is a common one and not a context related to legal terms or a formal one as I see. It sounds too pretentious.
Therefore, this sentence should sound like :
At first glance I cannot believe that this is the actual issue here; it could be just a coincidence.

As far as I know this phrase is of Latin origin and it is a legal term that means "at first view" in English.
e.g. A prima facie case presented to a Grand Jury by the prosecution will result in an indictment.



Regards,

[sanchalanam]

Thank you for your reply. Does that mean that I should use prima facie in legal context only?

Thanks,
Sanchi

[Teia]

Originally Posted by sanchalanam

Thank you for your reply. Does that mean that I should use prima facie in legal context only?

Thanks,
Sanchi

Yes, Sanchi, you are supposed to use this phrase only in a legal context, otherwise your sentence may sound too pretentious or even funny.

Imagine you are talking to someone [ a normal talk
, no legal context] and say : Prima facie, I think that this book is good to read, instead of : At first glance / view, I think that this book is good to read.


All the best,

[mykwyner]

In legal usage, a prima facie case is one where testimony or evidence in addition to that used to accuse the person is not necessary for his conviction.

For example, forged documents and checks are prima facie evidence of the crimes of forgery and bank fraud.

The use of this phrase in any non-legal setting could be taken as pretentious.

[tom slocombe]

Hi, yes it`s used in a legal context and if you have a prima facie case it is considered to be a valid case.

[sanchalanam]

Thank you all for the clarification. I really appreciate it.



-Sanchi