term:

Circumstance

circumstance n

1 a : a condition, fact, or event accompanying, conditioning, or determining another [the s constituting fraud or mistake shall be stated "Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 9(b)"]
b : a piece of evidence that indicates the probability or improbability of an event [a statement…offered to exculpate the accused is not admissible unless corroborating s clearly indicate the trustworthiness of the statement "State v. Lopez, 764 P.2d 1111 (1988)"]
2
pl

: situation with regard to wealth [the s of the parties before the divorce]

Source: Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law ©1996. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. Published under license with Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.