Clear error of law

It is an appellate term describing when the trial court has made an obvious legal mistake in its ruling. Another way of looking at it: The Court made a mistake in how it reached its decision. A clear error of law can occur in generally three ways: (1) the Court applies the wrong legal standard, i.e., it decides the matter under the wrong law or court rule; (2) misapplies the law, or (3) misapplies or ignores controlling precedents.