DE NOVO HEARING a new hearing, in which the judgment of the first hearing is suspended and the case proceeds as if it had originated in the reviewing tribunal.
EXAMPLE:
A state statute gives a defendant convicted in a municipal court the right to appeal that conviction de novo in a higher court. That right means that the defendant will have a new trial in which the facts and issues will be reviewed anew.
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Source: Barron's Dictionary of Legal Terms, Steven H. Gifis, 5th Edition; ©