第1解

absolute defence

【英文】In law，an absolute defence is a factual circumstance or argument that，if proven，will end the litigation in favor of the defendant.The concept of an absolute defence is not a rigid one.Statutes frequently use the term merely as a synonym to “full” or “complete”.It is more often used，however，as a term of art in both criminal and civil law to refer to an underlying set of facts and laws，not raised by the complaint or indictment，which will require the defendant’s dismissal even if the factual allegations of the complaining pleading are true.

【译文】法律上，绝对抗辩属于某一真实情况或论点，其一旦得到证实，有利于被告的诉讼便会结束。绝对抗辩之概念并非是一成不变的。制定法在使用该术语时常常仅将其当作“充分抗辩”或“完全抗辩”的同义词。然而，该术语在刑法和民法上常常被当作专业术语来使用，其指的是一整套基本事实和法律，但此类事实和法律在民事诉状和刑事起诉书里并不提及，而要求被告拒绝承认此类事实和法律，即便诉状或起诉书里答辩的事实陈述是真实的。

【解释】absolute defence可译为“绝对抗辩”，与之紧密联系的complete defence可译为“无责抗辩”或“绝对抗辩”。

再如：

1.Another characteristic of an absolute defence is that，once it is pled and proven，it is not subject to mitigation or collateral attack.〔译文：绝对抗辩之另一个特点是，一旦得到引证和证明，便不再受减刑或担保制约。〕

2.Use of the word “absolute” sometimes causes confusion，because even in the law “absolute” is sometimes used simply as a synonym for “full” or “complete”. As a term or art，however，there are many complete defenses which are not customarily called absolute.Most notably，innocence，while a complete defence to a criminal charge，is not generally termed “absolute”，because it involves a material fact of the pleading.On the other hand，double jeopardy is more likely to be termed an absolute defence；an indictment（or other criminal initiating pleading）does not have to state that the defendant has not previously been tried on the crime，but once a defendant shows that he has been previously tried for a crime，his dismissal is required by the US Constitution.〔译文：“绝对”一词的使用有时会引起混淆，因为即便在法律上“绝对”有时也仅简单地被当作“充分”或“完全”的同义词来使用。但是作为专业术语，有很多“完全”抗辩习惯上并非称为“绝对”抗辩。显而易见的是，虽然“无辜”可以作为刑事指控的完全抗辩，但“无辜”通常并不成为“绝对”抗辩，因其涉及答辩状中的实质性事实。而另一方面，双重审理更有可能称为绝对抗辩。刑事起诉书（或其他提起刑事指控的答辩状）并不需要表明被告曾因同一罪行而受到审判，但一旦被告表明他曾因某一罪行而受到审判，要驳回其抗辩则需要以美国联邦宪法为依据。〕

3.Both an absolute defence and a complete defence must be distinguished from a partial defence.With a partial defence，the litigant hopes to mitigate the outcome of the litigation，or limit culpability，but the liability is not eliminated.Examples include diminished capacity to understand the wrongfulness of the action，or a mistake of fact that affected the intention of the litigant.〔译文：必须把绝对抗辩和完全抗辩与部分抗辩区别开来。部分抗辩的情况下，诉讼当事人希望减轻诉讼的结果或者限制其有罪行为，但不能免除法律责任。此类情况有：对犯罪行为之过错性的理解能力降低，或者对影响诉讼者意图的事实产生了误解。〕

4.A complete defense to murder is where the police fail to prove one or more of the elements of the offence.〔译文：当警方无法证明谋杀罪之一项或多项要件时便构成对谋杀罪的完全抗辩。〕