Expressio Unius Est Exclusio Alterius in the United States

Expressio Unius Est Exclusio Alterius in the Wolters Kluwer Bouvier Law Dictionary

“Expressio Unius Est Exclusio Alterius (Expressio Unius Exclusio Alterius Est): The omission of an item from a list is presumed to exclude it. Expressio unius ut exclusio alterius, or “the expression of one thing is the exclusion of another,” is a maxim of interpretation applied to statutes, contracts, and other instruments, in which a list that omits something is presumed to have been written deliberately to exclude it.

Such a maxim should not, generally, be given priority over clear evidence of a scrivener’s error or of an intent by the drafter to the contrary.” (1)

Notes

1. “Expressio Unius Est Exclusio Alterius (Expressio Unius Exclusio Alterius Est)”. Wolters Kluwer Bouvier Law Dictionary