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This article seeks to compare the conditions affecting the perception of truth in science and law from the point of view of the victims of a French medical controversy. For this purpose, I analyze the hepatitis B vaccine that is suspected of inducing various auto immune diseases. Based on interviews with 15 alleged victims of the vaccine, I explicate the nature of the victims’ lay knowledge. Then the article analyzes the importance that the victims give to the judicial arena when making decisions regarding causal links in a context of uncertainty. Finally, it demonstrates that although victims have developed very strong expectations of the law, they remain in a largely mediated position. This contrasts with scientific investigations in which many of the alleged victims are actively involved. These observations lead to a reflection upon the way in which common sense and expertise are articulated in science and law.