Legal Definitions - irrelevant

In a legal proceeding, evidence is considered irrelevant if it has no logical connection to the facts that are important for deciding the case. This means the evidence does not help to prove or disprove any key issue or argument that the judge or jury needs to consider to reach a verdict or decision. If evidence is irrelevant, it is typically not allowed to be presented in court.

Here are some examples:

• Civil Contract Dispute: Imagine a company is suing a software developer for failing to deliver a custom application on time, causing the company financial losses. The developer's attorney tries to introduce evidence that the company's CEO frequently posts vacation photos on social media during work hours.

  Explanation: This evidence would likely be deemed irrelevant. While the CEO's social media habits might reflect on their personal work ethic, they have no direct bearing on whether the software developer met the contractual deadlines or delivered the agreed-upon product. The CEO's vacation photos do not make it more or less probable that the developer breached the contract.

• Criminal Theft Case: A person is on trial for stealing a valuable painting from an art gallery. During the trial, the prosecutor attempts to introduce evidence that the defendant has a history of jaywalking tickets from several years ago.

  Explanation: The defendant's past minor traffic infractions, such as jaywalking, are irrelevant to the current charge of stealing a painting. These past actions do not help to prove or disprove whether the defendant committed the specific act of theft in the art gallery. They have no connection to the facts of the art theft case.

• Personal Injury Claim: A pedestrian is suing a driver for negligence after being hit by a car, seeking compensation for medical bills and lost wages. The driver's defense attorney tries to introduce evidence about the pedestrian's favorite sports team's recent losing streak.

  Explanation: The performance of the pedestrian's favorite sports team is completely irrelevant to the legal issues in a personal injury claim. It has no bearing on whether the driver was negligent, the extent of the pedestrian's injuries, or the amount of damages they are entitled to. This information does not make any fact related to the accident more or less probable.