Opinion ID: 1403244
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Varying Levels of the Burden of Persuasion

Text: The burden of persuasion is heavier or lighter depending upon the kind of case and the particular issue involved. Broun § 33; see also Speas, 188 N.C. at 528-29, 125 S.E. at 400-01 (describing the differing levels of the burden of persuasion); Black's 209 (identifying varying burdens of persuasion). In civil cases, the burden of persuasion is usually the greater weight or preponderance of the evidence, Black's 209, but other civil cases require a greater burden of persuasion, that of clear and convincing evidence, see Speas, 188 N.C. at 528-29, 125 S.E. at 401, also called the middle burden of proof, Black's 209. See also Broun § 42. In criminal cases, the burden of persuasion is almost always beyond a reasonable doubt. Speas, 188 N.C. at 528, 125 S.E. at 400; Black's 209. In each case, the jury must determine whether the party with the burden of persuasion has met that burden with evidence that preponderates, clearly convinces, or establishes the matters at issue beyond a reasonable doubt. These various burdens of persuasion relate to the credibility of the evidence offered rather than the quantity of the evidence. See In re Will of Lomax, 225 N.C. 592, 595, 35 S.E.2d 876, 878 (1945) (noting that the probative value of testimony offered is a matter only for the jury).