ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Scienter

Okay kiddo, scienter is a big word that lawyers like to use. It basically means when someone knows that what they are doing is wrong or illegal. Let's use an example!

Imagine you have a cookie jar that's supposed to have 10 cookies in it, but somebody took one. Your little brother comes into the room with cookie crumbs on his face and you ask him if he took a cookie. If he says "No" even though you can clearly see the crumbs on his face, he has scienter because he is lying and knows that he did something wrong by taking the cookie without asking.

In law, scienter is important because it helps determine if someone intentionally did something wrong or if it was just an accident. So when someone is accused of doing something against the law, the court will try to figure out if they knew it was wrong when they did it or not.

I hope that helps, sweetie!
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