Еhe movie Miracle on 34 th street begins with the Thanksgiving parade at Macy's, where the hired Santa Claus is visibly drunk and cannot perform his duty. An old man who is later identified as Kris Kringle condemns the drunk Santa and Macy's public behavior' eventually hire him for that role. Kris plays his role magnificently well and wins the hearts of many children. His kind enthusiasm extends to him directing customers who could not find Macy's gifts to their competitors, Gimble leading to a boost in Macy's sales. Everyone at the store is pleased with the influence Kris brought them except the store's psychologist. One of their run-ins escalated when Mr. Kringle lightly hit the psychologist on the head with his cane (Seaton, 1947). Unamused, the psychologist claims that Mr. Kringle is a violent, delusional man who believes he is Santa and has him committed at a mental institution. Even after being committed, Mr. Kringle still maintains his stance about him being the real Santa Claus, and the case is taken to trial.
The preponderance of the evidence is a standard measure of evidence during the burden of proof analysis. According to this standard, the burden of proof is met when a party with proof convinces other parties that what they claim is at least fifty percent true. The burden of proof refers to the obligation required by the party arguing the case to provide sufficient evidence that backs their claims. In this case, Mr. Kringle, the plaintiff, filed a case to prove his sanity after claiming that he is the real St. Nicholas and have him released from the mental facility (Seaton, 1947). Mr. Kringle's attorney works zealously to prove his clients' sound mind and judgment by inviting Macy's owner to the stand. Mr. Kringle's famous reputation that led to increased sales at Macy's forces the owner to claim that Kris is the real Santa (Seaton, 1947). Macy's owner was terrified of having news headlines run stories about how they hired a fake Santa Claus who tried to convince people that he was the real St. Nicholas.
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Another example of burden of proof was witnessed towards the end of the trial when the judge required more evidence to affirm Santa Claus's identity. The judge avoided concluding the trial by declaring Mr. Kringle as a fake Santa and ruin the Christmas fantasy of many children. Fortunately enough, Mr. Kringle's attorney receives information about thousands of letters addressed to Santa Claus, and the postal employees identify Mr. Kringle as Santa (Seaton, 1947). With these letters presented in court, the judge ruled in favor of the plaintiff by stating that his authority can't argue with the identification of Mr. Kringle is Santa Claus by the federal government. The burden of proof was met when Mr. Kringle presented enough evidence to prove his identity as Santa Claus and released from the mental institution. Clear and convincing is an elevator standard of burden of proof in some Civil cases. With this standard, the plaintiff must provide evidence that suggests the high probability of a particular fact to be true. On the other hand, beyond a reasonable doubt is the highest standard of proof used in criminal cases where one party is imposed with the burden during a trial. This standard requires the prosecution to prove that the defendant committed the alleged crime with maximum moral certainty.
To conclude, Macy's hired Santa; Kris Kringle proved his sanity through legal channels that enabled his release from the mental facility he was committed to. After a scuffle with Macy's psychologist, Kris Kringle was accused of being delusional and insane, thus requiring him to provide adequate pieces of evidence that say contrary. The burden of proof is the evidence presented by the plaintiff in a court of law to prove their claims, and after several instances, Kris was able to ascertain his identity as St. Nicholas. The preponderance of the evidence is a tool used during the analysis of the burden of proof. Mr. Kringle's lawyer also presented clear and convincing arguments as used in civil cases that led to the trial's success, while beyond a reasonable doubt is a standard measurement tool used in criminal cases by prosecutors to prove that the defendant is guilty of the alleged crime.
References
Seaton, G. (Director). (1947). Miracle on 34th Street [Christmas Comedy-Drama]. 20th Century Fox.
