# LDC-E2703 — A precedent without an outcome

## What it means

A precedent concludes something: its outcome states which dictionary atom
the holding establishes, for the winning side's factors. A precedent with
no outcome argues nothing — there is no conclusion for later holdings to
follow or distinguish. The compiler refuses the precedent at its name
until an outcome is given.

The fix writes the outcome as a dictionary atom over the signature
variables, on the winning side. An outcome over anything else fails under
a different shape of the same check.

## Example

```law
language "law.core" version "0.2";
package demo.diagnostics version "0.1.0";
namespace "urn:law:demo:diagnostics";

entity Case;
entity Item;
relation clear(c: Case, i: Item) kind empirical;
relation vague(c: Case, i: Item) kind empirical;
factors Deal {
for c: Case, i: Item;
domain clear(c, i), vague(c, i);
plaintiff clear;
defendant vague;
courts Alpha;
}
precedent P1 of Deal {
court Alpha;
decided @2020-01-01;
plaintiff clear;
defendant vague;
}
```

## Fix

```law
language "law.core" version "0.2";
package demo.diagnostics version "0.1.0";
namespace "urn:law:demo:diagnostics";

entity Case;
entity Item;
relation clear(c: Case, i: Item) kind empirical;
relation vague(c: Case, i: Item) kind empirical;
factors Deal {
for c: Case, i: Item;
domain clear(c, i), vague(c, i);
plaintiff clear;
defendant vague;
courts Alpha;
}
precedent P1 of Deal {
court Alpha;
decided @2020-01-01;
plaintiff clear;
defendant vague;
outcome clear(c, i);
}
```

## Engine message

The engine reports this in its own wording:

```text
example.law:16:11: error LDC-E2703: precedent P1: no `outcome` (§276.3)
```

## Related

- [Facts and evidence](/constructs/facts-and-evidence/) — what an assertion carries.