Glossary
Request for admission
A discovery tool that asks the other side to admit or deny specific factual statements. If they don't respond on time, the statements are deemed admitted.
Requests for admission are a way to narrow the issues for trial. If the other side admits a fact, you don't have to prove it. They're useful for locking down basic facts that aren't really in dispute (e.g., "Admit that the contract dated March 5, 2023 attached as Exhibit A is a true copy of the contract between the parties").
Failure to respond on time is brutal: each unanswered request is automatically deemed admitted. Pro se parties who don't know this rule can lose major facts simply by missing the deadline.