In litigation, both criminal and civil, this is the place where a good lawyer earns his or her money, so to speak. In this stage of a trial, fire-breathing lawyers sometimes shred the testimony of witnesses in an effort to lessen their credibility. Within the bounds of courtroom decorum, impeachment is a zero-sum game: what weakens the credibility of a defensive witness advances the case of the plaintiff. Watching lawyers "have at it" with witnesses is often the most interesting part of a trial.

Sometimes impeachment is very easy. The eyewitness testimony of a visually impaired man can be impeached by establishing that his eyesight has limitations.

In civil actions, inconsistent statements -- for example, one in a deposition and the other on the witness stand -- impeach and weaken the testimony of a witness. In some cases, expert witnesses neutralize each other’s testimony.

A witness may be impeached during cross-examination or by direct testimony or evidence of another witness.

See Direct and Cross Examination.

See also Trial.

Your Suggestion