material to our client's knowing

[Lost_Soul]

Hi,

Could you tell me the meaning of the phrase in bold:

The court agreed that this was material to our client’s knowing waiver of his right to seek legal redress should they rearrest him on that charge later

Thanks a lot !

[Yankee]

this was [color=blue]material to our client’s [color=red]knowing waiver of his right

Hi Alex

Basically, the phrase ‘[color=red]knowing waiver’ is something that is used in the version of English known as “legalese”. :lol:
I’m not a legal expert, but this is how I would describe ‘knowing waiver’:

If you waive your right to something, that means you agree to give up a right that you would otherwise normally be entitled to. A ‘waiver’ is the act of waiving something. If an agreement to waive your right to something is reached, it is important to know exactly which right(s) you are giving up. Let’s say that you agree to waive your right to X, but you did not realize that in doing so you would also lose your right to Y. In that sort of situation, a waiver of your right to Y would not be a ‘knowing waiver’.

The usage of the word ‘[color=blue]material’ is also common in “legalese”. It basically means ‘relevant and having consequences’. Look at definition 14 here.

I hope you get the gist of your sentence now.
.

[Lost_Soul]

Hi, Amy

Thanks a million ! It’s become clear to me now