REQUESTS FOR ADMISSIONS Meaning and
Definition
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Requests for admissions are a legal tool often used in civil litigation to establish or clarify undisputed facts and simplify the trial process. Such requests are a written set of questions or statements sent by one party to another as part of the pre-trial discovery phase. These requests seek to have the receiving party either admit or deny specific facts related to the case.
The purpose of requests for admissions is to narrow down the disputed issues between the parties, eliminating the need for time-consuming and costly litigation over factual matters that can be agreed upon beforehand. By requesting admissions, a party hopes to obtain admissions on certain facts that may be favorable to their case or to highlight inconsistencies in the opposing party's position.
Requests for admissions typically consist of clear and concise statements or questions, asking the receiving party to either admit the truth of a certain fact, deny it, or assert a lack of knowledge or information to form a belief about it. The receiving party must respond within a specified time frame, usually by admitting or denying each request. Failure to respond or evasive responses may have consequences, such as deeming the matter admitted by default.
Once admitted, the facts in these requests are seen as conclusively established for the purpose of the trial. Admissions can help streamline the legal proceedings, avoiding unnecessary disputes over non-disputed facts, and allowing parties to focus on the genuine matters of contention, thereby promoting the efficient resolution of legal disputes.
