Definitions for "Res Ipsa Loquitur"
( res ipsa loquitur) Roughly translated means "the facts" (or things) speak for themselves. It is a doctrine of law or a presumption of certain facts.
This Latin phrase means 'the thing speaks for itself. It refers to a legal liability situation. What it means is that in cases where the cause of an accident lies solely within the control of the defendant, the plaintiff does not have to prove negligence - in other words, the facts of the case speak for themselves.
Literally, " a thing that speaks for itself." In tort law, the doctrine which holds a defendant guilty of negligence without an actual showing that he or she was negligent. Its use is limited in theory to cases in which the cause of the plaintiff's injury was entirely under the control of the defendant, and the injury presumably could have been caused only by negligence.