Fruit Of The Poisonous Tree Legal Meaning and Definition

Here is a simplified definition of the legal term Fruit Of The Poisonous Tree.

Fruit of the Poisonous Tree (n): A legal metaphor used to describe evidence that is obtained illegally. The logic of the terminology is that if the source (the "tree") of the evidence or evidence itself is tainted, then anything gained (the "fruit") from it is as well. For instance, if a police officer conducted an unlawful search of a home and found illegal items, those items cannot be used as evidence in court because they are the "fruit" of the illegal search (the "poisonous tree").