Legal Definitions - Request for Admission

A Request for Admission is a formal written request sent by one party in a lawsuit to another party, asking them to confirm the truth of specific facts or to acknowledge the authenticity of certain documents. It's a tool used during the "discovery" phase of a lawsuit, which is when parties gather information from each other before trial.

The main goal of a Request for Admission is to narrow down the issues that are actually in dispute. By getting the other party to admit certain facts or documents are true, those particular points no longer need to be proven in court. This saves time and resources during the trial. Once a party admits something in response to such a request, that admission is considered binding and true for the duration of the lawsuit.

• Example 1: Business Contract Dispute

  Imagine a software company (Plaintiff) is suing a client (Defendant) for unpaid services. The software company might send a Request for Admission asking the client to admit:

  • "You signed the service agreement dated June 1, 2023."
  • "The attached invoice (Exhibit A) for $15,000 was sent to you on July 15, 2023."
  • "You received and used the software updates provided on August 1, 2023."

  How this illustrates the term: By asking the client to admit these points, the software company aims to establish basic, undisputed facts about the contract's existence, the invoice, and the delivery of services. If the client admits these, the software company won't need to call witnesses or present extensive evidence at trial just to prove these foundational elements, allowing the trial to focus on whether payment was due or if there was a breach.

• Example 2: Personal Injury Claim

  Consider a lawsuit where a pedestrian (Plaintiff) is suing a driver (Defendant) after being hit by a car. The pedestrian's lawyer might send a Request for Admission to the driver asking them to admit:

  • "Your vehicle was involved in an accident with a pedestrian at the intersection of Elm Street and Maple Avenue on October 20, 2023."
  • "You were the driver of the blue sedan with license plate XYZ-123 at the time of the accident."
  • "The attached photograph (Exhibit B) accurately depicts the damage to the front bumper of your vehicle after the accident."

  How this illustrates the term: These requests aim to confirm fundamental details about the incident and the driver's involvement. If the driver admits these facts, it eliminates the need for the pedestrian to prove who was driving, what car was involved, or that an accident occurred, allowing the focus to shift to questions of negligence and damages.

• Example 3: Intellectual Property Dispute

  Suppose a small design firm (Plaintiff) is suing a larger corporation (Defendant) for copyright infringement, claiming the corporation used their logo without permission. The design firm might send a Request for Admission asking the corporation to admit:

  • "The attached image (Exhibit C) is a copy of the logo used on your company's website from January 2023 to March 2024."
  • "Your company did not have a licensing agreement with the design firm for the use of this logo during that period."
  • "The individual who designed the logo for the design firm is John Doe."

  How this illustrates the term: These requests seek to establish key facts about the alleged infringement and the ownership of the intellectual property. If the corporation admits to using the logo without a license, it significantly strengthens the design firm's case by removing these points from contention and allowing the court to focus on whether that use constituted infringement and what damages are owed.