Meshesha, Million (PhD)Abebe, Solomon2021-04-012023-11-182021-04-012023-11-182010-01-06http://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/12345678/25898Knowledge-based systems play an important role in solving problems and supporting human decision-making. The development of these systems begins with limited area of disciplines and then extends to a large number of other fields such as finding molecular structure, locating oil and mineral sites, medical diagnosis, computer system component selection etc. This research deals with the development of a KBS as an alternative approach for handling tort claims under the Ethiopian law. An extensive review of the ruling contemporary theories about the nature of law and legal reasoning is made during the development process so as to get an insight in the modeling of the expertise needed to tackle the problem. The required tacit knowledge is collected through semi-structured interviews with domain experts. Moreover, the review of statute books, case reports and journal articles are also analyzed to gather explicit knowledge in the domain area. CommonKADS and decision tree modeling techniques are used in the modeling of expertise. Rule-Based Reasoning (RBR) approach is adopted to represent the necessary knowledge in the knowledge base of the system. The Knowledge base is developed using SWI prolog which supports backward chaining to make inferences by reading the composed rules in the knowledge base. The testing of the prototype system is done first by using artificial test data and then a sample of thirteen previously decided test cases is taken in law of torts to make comparisons on the decision made by the system and human experts. Similar decisions passed in situation when all sufficient conditions are given for the application and non-application of the rules. However, the decision made by human experts differs in most cases. This is due to the fact that the decisions are not only determined by written rules but also some extra-legal factors which have to do with political, cultural, economic , and religious beliefs of the judges . It also influenced by the personal and psychological characteristics of a judge. Therefore, the development of a KBS that incorporates predictive capacity to predict judicial decisions by taking precedents (or decided cases) and examining closely the personal attitudes of the presiding judges towards political, cultural, economic, religious, and social factors are demanding to make the system credible in the legal community.enKnowledge-BasedSystemSettling TortClaims UnderEthiopianLawThesis