Also, it is not clear that the selfish and the moral are contradictories, for some non-selfish reasons are not moral. The fact that a 100m runner is the fastest in the world gives me reason to admire his athletic abilities, and to persuade others that they should admire him. But the fact that he is the fastest 100m runner in the world is neither selfish nor moral. There are many other examples as well, especially if we include reasons to believe. To win, you just need to believe in the rules. And Tessa loves to win, even when defending clients accused of sexual assault. if the ethical rule you claim to be following cannot logically be made a universal rule, then it is not a valid moral rule. This edition, published alongside Prima Facie's Broadway transfer in 2023, includes contributions from writer Suzie Miller, actor Jodie Comer, director Justin Martin, producer James Bierman and other key members of the creative team, letting you go deeper into the world of the play. There are also essays on the legal context and how the play has become a vehicle for change in attitudes towards the treatment of female victims of sexual assault. According to the prima facie standard of proof, a party must produce adequate evidence that a certain claim is true at the surface level. The subject is still being debated and even refuted. As a result, the prima facie standard of proof is low. What is an example of prima facie reasoning?

The play cannily – and devastatingly – puts each audience member in the position of judge, juror, complainant and bystander, and approximates an inside view of how flawed the legal system is when it comes to adjudicating sexual assault. Together in the audience, we are a microcosm of the society that is complicit in this dysfunction. (Crucially, it also suggests how we might begin to level the playing field by moving to an “affirmative consent” model.) I don't remember what the play was, but I remember being blown away and going, 'I want to do that. That looks amazing.'" There is a touch of Killing Eve’s Villanelle in Comer’s darkly comic – almost camp – performance in the opening scene, which finds her shooting down a witness in court and describing it in the style of a saloon-bar showdown. Her character treats the law as a bloodsport and justifies tearing down the testimonies of women who claim assault by citing the legitimacy of “legal truth” (whatever can be proved beyond doubt) above actual truth. During the pre-trial phase of a case, the State, on behalf of the complainant, in a murder case may be required to present prima facie proof that a person was murdered, maybe by the defendant. Thus, prima facie evidence would include evidence that the deceased was murdered, that the victim seemed to die as a result of the murder, and that the defendant was capable of committing the murder. References Suppose person ‘A’ accused person ‘B’ of ‘theft’. If the State, on behalf of A, only presents evidence that B came to his residence, the theft charge will be rejected. B would not even have to produce any evidence and may instead request an acquittal based on the State’s inability to prove a prima facie case of theft. However, if the State exhibits proof of B’s presence on his premises and stealing certain objects for which A has accused B of theft, such as eyewitness testimony, then the standards of a prima facie case for that aspect of the crime may be met and B may be charged with theft. Now, even if B has proof indicating an eyewitness was wrong, he or she cannot move for a verdict right away and must offer that evidence in rebuttal during the trial stage. Implications of prima facie evidence

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This play is brilliant, and I am so upset I never got the chance to see Jodie Comer perform this live. Prima Facie tells the story of a successful defence barrister who finds herself in the witness box after experiencing a sexual assault. This play highlights the sheer injustice within the legal system, and how it sways in the perpetrator's favour under the pretence that the victim "cannot be believed." Tessa's experience is one that one in three women experience in their lifetime, though many cases do not make it to court. This play is so powerful in its portrayal of the event and the aftermath - including the sexual assault as a scene allows us to see how the defence twists and reframes Tessa's experience in a way that makes it seem like she was not a victim. This was hard to read at certain points, but it brings attention to the issue of how normalised sexual assault is in a way that is so powerful. I hope this play can bring about change in the law system, even if just a little bit. Not many books can immediately draw you in, keep you up all night, and break your heart over and over again. But still you can't put it down. Can't look away. There are not enough superlatives for Suzie Miller's incendiary novel. Just read it.' Heather Rose A polemical monologue which makes its point in style… the cumulative effect is quite something' The Times

I saw this [kind of thing] over and over again as a lawyer; young men would go into prison and would be viciously sexually assaulted … and become homophobic, violent, hyper-vigilant and angry," Miller observes. How do we apply this to normative reasons? The place-holder for a motive in relation to normative reasons seems to be the reason-giving fact. But what fact would make the reason it grounds selfish? The fact that the act would benefit me is clearly a selfish fact in this context. But what about the fact that the act would benefit my family or my village? That might well benefit me as well as others (in my family or town). Does that make it both selfish and unselfish, or neither? In the General Electric Company of India Ltd. v. the Fifth Industrial Tribunal, West Bengal and Ors. (1990), it was stated that the phrase “prima facie” means at first sight or as far as it can be judged from the first disclosure. A prima facie case means that the evidence presented on the record would allow the plaintiff’s desired conclusion to be reached. A prima facie case has progressed through sufficient proof to the point where it would support a finding if contrary evidence is ignored. There was a top QC [Queen's Counsel] defence lawyer there who said, 'Well, I do this every day. But if it was my niece, or my goddaughter [who was the victim of a sexual assault], I'd say never, ever take it to court'," Miller recalls Turning Sydney's courts of law into a different kind of stage, Suzie Miller's (Sunset Strip, Caress/Ache) taut, rapid-fire and gripping one-woman show exposes the shortcomings of a patriarchal justice system where it's her word against his.Tessa's mum is based on Miller's own mother, Elaine Miller, who had been a homemaker before becoming the first female mayor of St Kilda. Elaine died right before the play opened, of ovarian cancer.