The provision made at the end of cl 17 enables a purchaser, if he wishes, to prove affectation at the relevant date by production of the appropriate written statement, in the present case stating affectation at the date of contract by a proposal for siting of a road. If he wishes, however, he could prove this otherwise by evidence given directly to establish the proposal and affectation by it. If, however, he elects to produce an appropriate statement, it provides the proof required to establish the ground for rescission.
Above is an extract from a legal judgement. The way the phrase "prove this otherwise" is used in the above is confusing me. I understood the phrase to mean disprove, but if I adopt this definition, the above judgement will not make sense. Why would the purchaser wish to disprove his own evidence?
The only way to make sense of it is to interpret it as to mean "prove it in other ways." Can the phrase "prove this otherwise" also mean "prove it in other ways?"
Best Answer
I think in this case prove this otherwise means prove this in another way.
I would paraphase the first sentence like this:
And the second sentence like this:
In any case, it's not clear English, it's legalese. If it's very important that you understand this without any possibility of misinterpretation, I'd advise you to consult a lawyer.