noun
- The act of averring.
- A positive affirmation, allegation,
or declaration of facts, especially in a pleading, as opposed to an
argumentative statement or a statement based on induction or inference;
generally this term is used in civil proceedings, as opposed to allegation in criminal proceedings.
averment of notice
immaterial averment
An averment that provides unnecessary information and detail.
negative averment
An averment that is stated in the negative, but is actually
affirmative in substance. For example, the negative averment “he is not old
enough to marry” really means that “he is too young to marry.” Although one who
makes a simple denial in a pleading does not carry the burden of proof, the
party who asserts negative averment has the burden to prove the avermentÂ’s
affirmative substance.