Simple English definitions for legal terms
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Irrelevant means something that doesn't have anything to do with what's being talked about or decided. In court, evidence can be called irrelevant if it doesn't help prove or disprove what's being argued. For example, if someone was hurt in a car accident, it doesn't prove that someone else was hurt in the same accident. Rules exist to decide if evidence is relevant or not. Lawyers can ask for irrelevant evidence to be removed from the case, and they can object if it's brought up during the trial. If they don't object, they might not be able to later.
Definition: Irrelevant refers to evidence that does not relate to or affect the matter in controversy in civil and criminal litigation. Evidence is considered irrelevant if it does not have any tendency to make a fact more or less probable than it would be without the evidence, and the fact is not of consequence in determining the action.
These examples illustrate that evidence must be directly related to the matter in controversy to be considered relevant. Evidence that does not have any bearing on the facts of the case or the issues being decided is considered irrelevant and may be excluded from consideration.
Attorneys can object to irrelevant evidence at trial, and judges may strike irrelevant material at the pleading stage. It is important to object to irrelevant evidence in a timely manner, as failure to do so could result in the evidence being admitted for consideration by the judge or jury, and could waive the ability to object on appeal.
irreconcilable differences | irremediable or irretrievable breakdown