Quote:
Originally Posted by Riocaz
I was given to believe that in UK and US law, "ignorance" was never a defence.
And I hasten to add that my use of the term ignorance refers only to someone making a claim they were not personally sure was true.
|
It is in perjury--on forms & contracts, there's often a phrase like "the information contained on the preceding claim form is true to the best of his/her/their knowledge and belief."
If you didn't know you were claiming something that wasn't true, it's not perjury. Ignorance
of the law is no defense; not knowing it's illegal to lie on some contracts doesn't keep you from perjury. However, saying something that's not true is not perjury (not even saying it under oath); only deliberately lying is perjury.
Absolute surety isn't required, just lack of intent to deceive, and lack of firm contradictory knowledge.
(I have friends who get into this with medical forms all the time; nurses get upset when people won't fill things out because they don't know if diabetes runs in the family, because they were adopted.)