Fruit Of The Poisonous Tree Definition and Legal Meaning

On this page, you'll find the legal definition and meaning of Fruit Of The Poisonous Tree, written in plain English, along with examples of how it is used.

What is Fruit Of The Poisonous Tree?

(n) The phrase Fruit of Poison is used to represent the evidences, testimonials etc gathered by using illegitimate methods. It means when the method ‘the tree’ is poisonous its fruit ‘the evidence collected’ is also poisonous. Eg. Evidence collected in illegal search of a premises will not be allowed as a legitimate evidence.

History and Meaning of Fruit Of The Poisonous Tree

The Fruit of the poisonous tree is a legal doctrine that refers to evidence obtained illegally. According to this doctrine, if the initial evidence was obtained illegally, then any other evidence that was gathered as a result is also deemed inadmissible in court. The term "fruit" is used here to represent the evidence, testimony, or other information obtained illegally.

The doctrine was first established in 1920 by the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Silverthorne Lumber Co. v. United States. The court held that evidence obtained as a result of an unlawful search and seizure is not admissible in a court of law.

The Fruit of the poisonous tree doctrine acts as a safeguard against unconstitutional searches and seizures. It ensures that law enforcement agencies do not benefit from their illegal actions and that the evidence they obtain is not used to prosecute individuals.

Examples of Fruit Of The Poisonous Tree

  1. The police obtained evidence through an illegal search of a person's home. They later used this evidence to obtain a confession. The confession is considered the fruit of the poisonous tree and cannot be used in court.

  2. A law enforcement agency conducts an illegal wiretap on a suspect's phone without a proper warrant. Any evidence obtained through the wiretap is considered the fruit of the poisonous tree and is inadmissible in court.

  3. A police officer uses excessive force to obtain a confession from a suspect. Any information obtained through that confession is considered the fruit of the poisonous tree and cannot be used in legal proceedings.

Legal Terms Similar to Fruit Of The Poisonous Tree

  1. Exclusionary rule - The exclusionary rule prohibits the use of illegally obtained evidence in criminal trials.

  2. Mapp v. Ohio - This Supreme Court case held that the exclusionary rule applies to the states.

  3. Fourth Amendment - The Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures and is the basis for the Fruit of the poisonous tree doctrine.