Legal Definitions - innocent misrepresentation

Definition: Innocent misrepresentation is when someone makes a false statement without knowing that it is false. It is different from fraudulent misrepresentation, which is when someone intentionally makes a false statement to deceive another person.

For example, if a person sells a car and says that it has never been in an accident, but they did not know that it was in a minor accident before they owned it, that would be an innocent misrepresentation. The seller did not intend to deceive the buyer, but the statement was still false.

Another example could be a real estate agent who tells a buyer that a house has a new roof, but they did not know that the roof was actually repaired instead of replaced. This would also be an innocent misrepresentation because the agent did not intentionally lie, but the statement was still false.

These examples illustrate how innocent misrepresentation can happen even when the person making the statement did not mean to deceive anyone. It is important to be truthful in all statements, even if they are innocent mistakes, to avoid any legal consequences.