Legal Definitions - series rerum judicatarum

Definition: Series rerum judicatarum is a Latin term used in Scots law to refer to a succession of decisions that establish a precedent for a particular principle.

Example: In the case of Donoghue v Stevenson, the House of Lords established the principle of duty of care in negligence cases. This decision became part of the series rerum judicatarum for negligence law, and subsequent cases have relied on it as a precedent.

Explanation: The example illustrates how a series rerum judicatarum works in practice. When a court makes a decision that establishes a new principle, that decision becomes part of a series of cases that have established that principle. Subsequent cases can then rely on those earlier decisions as precedents, which helps to create consistency and predictability in the law.