Harmless error refers to an error made by a judge during a trial and which the appellate court finds “not sufficient” to reverse the decision or a judgment made by the lower court. These errors may include a technical error which had no real implication on the outcome of a lawsuit.
Appellate court usually adapts to a 2-phase analysis for harmless error. First, they determine if there was any error. Then, they find out if the error was harmless. In some cases, the court only determines whether the error is harmless without going into details like whether the error actually took place.