Legal Definitions - admit

To admit, in a legal context, means to acknowledge or confirm the truthfulness of a statement, fact, or claim. When an individual admits something, they are essentially agreeing that a particular piece of information is true or accurate. In criminal law, an admission can be a particularly significant statement where an accused person acknowledges facts that, when combined with other evidence, could help establish their guilt, even if it's not a full confession to the crime itself.

• Example 1 (Civil Dispute):

  During a lawsuit concerning a construction defect, the contractor's project manager states in a deposition, "I admit that the wrong type of waterproofing membrane was used on the foundation."

  This is an admission because the project manager is confirming the truthfulness of a critical fact related to the defect. This acknowledged fact can be used as evidence to establish the contractor's responsibility for the faulty construction.

• Example 2 (Criminal Investigation):

  A person being questioned about a robbery tells detectives, "I admit I was in the vicinity of the bank at the time of the incident, but I was just walking my dog."

  While this individual denies committing the robbery, their statement is an admission of a key fact – their presence near the crime scene at a relevant time. This acknowledged fact, when combined with other evidence like security camera footage or witness descriptions, could contribute to the investigation and potentially establish their involvement.

• Example 3 (Contract Law):

  In a dispute over a service agreement, one company's legal counsel sends a letter stating, "We admit that our client failed to deliver the final report by the agreed-upon deadline."

  This is an admission because the company is confirming the truthfulness of a claim that they did not meet a contractual obligation. This acknowledged fact is crucial for determining whether a breach of contract occurred and what remedies might be available to the other party.