Capacity - sustany/dvg GitHub Wiki

Capacity refers to the ability to make a rational decision based upon all relevant facts and considerations. Some common usages of the term �capacity� in a legal sense include:�

  • In the context of criminal law, the term �capacity� means that the defendant must have the ability to understand the wrongfulness of their actions.
  • In the context of contract law,� the term �capacity� denotes a person's ability to satisfy the elements required for someone to enter binding contracts. �For example, capacity rules often require a person to have reached a minimum age and to be of sound mind. A contract signed by a person lacking capacity may be void or voidable.
  • In the context of wills, the maker of a will must have testamentary capacity. Cases such as this one from the D.C. Court of Appeals, explain that ��testamentary�capacity� is the mental state that a person must possess at the time of making a will in order for the will to be valid.�