adverse interest

There are three main types of adverse interests.

An adverse interest can mean an interest, claim or right that is against another’s interest.
- For example, a plaintiff and defendant have adverse interests.
A witness with adverse interest means the witness is hostile. A hostile witness wants different results of the lawsuit than the party who calls them.
- Rule 611 of the Federal Rules of Evidence allows a party to ask a witness with adverse interests leading questions even during a direct examination of a trial.
In real property, adverse interest means a person, who’s not the owner of the land or house, owns an interest of the property.
- For example, neighbor A owns an easement, which gives A the right to pass B’s land to access public road, on the land of owner B. In this case, A has an adverse interest on B’s land.

[Last updated in June of 2022 by the Wex Definitions Team]

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