R. v. Ewert
- Citation
- [1992] 3 SCR 161
- Status
- Judgment
- Jurisdiction
- Canada
- Court
- Supreme Court of Canada
- Decision
- 14 October 1992
- Posture
- Criminal Appeal / Appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada; Judgment on Appeal
- Language
- English
More details
- Court
- Supreme Court of Canada
- Decision
- 14 October 1992
- Posture
- Criminal Appeal / Appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada; Judgment on Appeal
- Language
- English
On this page
Professional case brief
Research organized from the available case record
01
Holding and result
The majority of the Court of Appeal erred by substituting its view on the weight of evidence for that of the trial judge; because there was no error of law the Court of Appeal had no jurisdiction to set aside the conviction and the Supreme Court restored the conviction.
Court disposition
Appeal allowed; conviction restored.
Orders
- Appeal allowed and conviction restored.
02
Material facts
Parties
Her Majesty The Queen
Appellant Counsel: Elizabeth BennettJeffrey George Ewert
Respondent Counsel: Simon R. Buck03
Procedural history
Posture
Criminal Appeal / Appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada; Judgment on Appeal
04
Questions and positions
Legal issues
- 01
Whether the Court of Appeal had jurisdiction to set aside the conviction absent an error of law
- 02
Whether the Court of Appeal's intervention was based on an error of law or a mere disagreement with the trial judge on the weight of evidence
Party arguments
- Applicant
- The Crown argued the Court of Appeal lacked jurisdiction because no error of law was made; the majority merely disagreed with the trial judge about the weight of the evidence and therefore the conviction should be restored.
- Respondent
- The respondent (accused) argued the Court of Appeal properly set aside the conviction, implying the trial was vitiated by error sufficient to warrant appellate intervention.
05
Court’s reasoning
Legal principles
- 01
Supreme Court of Canada, R. v. Ewert, [1992] 3 S.C.R. 161
An appellate court cannot overturn a criminal conviction for a difference in assessment of evidentiary weight; jurisdiction to set aside requires an error of law.
- 02
Supreme Court of Canada, R. v. Ewert, [1992] 3 S.C.R. 161
Disagreement with the trial judge on credibility or weight of evidence does not amount to a reviewable question of law.
06
Ratio, limits and disposition
Ratio decidendi
The majority of the Court of Appeal erred by substituting its view on the weight of evidence for that of the trial judge; because there was no error of law the Court of Appeal had no jurisdiction to set aside the conviction and the Supreme Court restored the conviction.
Court disposition
Appeal allowed; conviction restored.
- Appeal allowed and conviction restored.
Source and reliance status
Supreme Court of Canada · 14 October 1992
This page organises the available record for research. Confirm quotations, current status, and subsequent treatment against the official source before relying on the case.
Judgment reading view
Judgment text
The complete available source text.
Supreme Court of Canada
Judgment· 14 October 1992
R. v. Ewert Collection Supreme Court Judgments Date 1992-10-14 Report [1992] 3 SCR 161 Case number 22765 Judges La Forest, Gérard V.; L'Heureux-Dubé, Claire; Sopinka, John; Gonthier, Charles Doherty; McLachlin, Beverley On appeal from British Columbia Subjects Criminal law Notes SCC Case Information: 22765 Decision Content R. v. Ewert, [1992] 3 S.C.R. 161 Her Majesty The Queen Appellant v. Jeffrey George Ewert Respondent Indexed as: R. v. Ewert File No.: 22765. 1992: October 14. Present: La Forest, L'Heureux‑Dubé, Sopinka, Gonthier and McLachlin JJ. on appeal from the court of appeal for british columbia Criminal law ‑‑ Appeal ‑‑ Powers of Court of Appeal ‑‑ Error of law ‑‑ Court of Appeal having no jurisdiction to set aside conviction since there was no error of law ‑‑ Appeal allowed and conviction restored. APPEAL from a judgment of the British Columbia Court of Appeal (1991), 68 C.C.C. (3d) 207, 5 B.C.A.C. 265, 11 W.A.C. 265, setting aside the accused's conviction on a charge of attempted murder. Appeal allowed and conviction restored. Elizabeth Bennett, for the appellant. Simon R. Buck, for the respondent. //La Forest J.// The judgment of the Court was delivered orally by La Forest J. ‑‑ The Court is ready to hand down judgment. The judgment will be pronounced by Mr. Justice Sopinka. //Sopinka J.// Sopinka J. ‑‑ This is an appeal as of right based on the dissenting reasons
of Southin J.A. The only issue before us is whether the majority of the Court of Appeal found an error of law which gave the Court of Appeal jurisdiction to allow the appeal. In our opinion, the majority disagreed with the trial judge as to the weight of evidence. We, therefore, agree with Southin J.A. that there was no question or error of law. The appeal is allowed and the conviction is restored. Judgment accordingly. Solicitors for the appellant: Wilson & Buck, Vancouver. Solicitor for the respondent: The Attorney General of British Columbia, Vancouver.
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