Legal Definitions - ex visitatione Dei

Term: ex visitatione Dei
Definition: Ex visitatione Dei means "by the dispensation of God" or "by natural causes as opposed to violent ones." It is used to explain why something happened due to physical incapacity or natural causes. For example, if a prisoner stands silently instead of pleading in court, a jury may be impaneled to determine if the prisoner is obstinately standing mute or is unable to speak due to physical incapacity. In a coroner's report, ex visitatione Dei may be used to explain that a person died from a disease or another natural cause rather than from violence.