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What should you do when your opponent cites authority in a motion or brief that appears directly on point? Panic. After you finish panicking, you need to determine two threshold issues: whether the authority is binding or merely persuasive and whether the facts are analogous to your situation. The answers to those questions will dictate how you attack the adverse authority.
If the authority seems to be binding (but is not), then explain why the authority doesn’t bind your court. If the facts of a case are dissimilar, you could use the case affirmatively to support your argument or could demonstrate that your opponent inaccurately described the case. If the facts of a case are similar, you could attack its reasoning. But if a case is binding and has directly addressed your issue, the better approach is to distinguish it.
In this article, I explain six different methods to knock down adverse authority and illustrate them with examples from the best litigators. At least one method should apply to your opponent’s cited authority. If not, you may consider settling the claims.
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