Legal Definitions - immaterial fact

An immaterial fact is a piece of information that, even if true, is not relevant or significant enough to influence the outcome of a legal case or decision. It does not affect the legal rights, duties, or liabilities of the parties involved and therefore has no bearing on the court's judgment.

Here are some examples to illustrate this concept:

• Context: A Contract Dispute

  Imagine a lawsuit where a homeowner is suing a contractor for failing to complete a kitchen renovation according to the agreed-upon terms. The homeowner claims the new cabinets are the wrong style and the flooring is not what was specified in the contract.

  An immaterial fact in this case would be the contractor's favorite sports team or the brand of coffee they drank on the day they signed the contract. While these might be true facts about the contractor, they have absolutely no relevance to whether the cabinets and flooring meet the contractual specifications, and thus would not impact the court's decision on whether the contract was breached.

• Context: A Personal Injury Claim

  Consider a lawsuit stemming from a car accident where one driver is suing another for negligence. The key issues are who was at fault for the collision and the extent of the plaintiff's injuries.

  An immaterial fact might be that the plaintiff was listening to a particular genre of music on their car radio at the time of the accident, or that the defendant had a messy car interior. These details do not contribute to determining fault (e.g., who ran a red light, who was speeding) or the severity of the injuries sustained, and therefore would not be considered by the court in reaching a verdict.

• Context: An Employment Discrimination Case

  Suppose an employee files a lawsuit alleging they were unfairly terminated due to age discrimination. The central legal question is whether the employer's decision was based on the employee's age rather than legitimate business reasons.

  An immaterial fact could be that the company CEO enjoys painting as a hobby, or that the terminated employee frequently brought homemade lunches to work. These facts, while true, have no bearing on whether the termination decision was discriminatory or based on the employee's age, and thus would not be relevant evidence in the legal proceedings.