in the court of appeals of the state - Mississippi Supreme Court

of Crystal Springs, 749 So. 2d 110, 113 (12) (Miss. 1999)). The appellate court will only
reverse the decision of the trial judge when the error adversely affects a substantial right of
a party. Id.
41. Relevant evidence has been described by our rules of evidence as any evidence
"having any tendency to make the existence of any fact that is of consequence to the
determination of the action more probable or less probable than it would be without the
evidence." M.R.E. 401. Evidence, though relevant, may be excluded "if its probative value
is substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice, confusion of the issues, or
misleading of the jury, or by considerations of undue delay, waste of time, or needless
presentation of cumulative evidence." M.R.E. 403. However, if the evidence has any
probative value at all, then the evidence rules favor a broad interpretation that would allow
for the evidence’s admission. Redhead v. Entergy Mississippi, Inc., 828 So. 2d 801, 807
(16) (Miss. Ct. App. 2001) (citing Williams v. State, 543 So. 2d 665, 667 (Miss. 1989)).
“[T]he determination of the relevancy of evidence is left to the sound discretion of the trial
judge[,] whose determination will not be reversed in the absence of clear abuse.” Watts v.
State, 635 So. 2d 1364, 1367 (Miss. 1994). For a case to be reversed on the admission or
exclusion of evidence, the ruling must result in prejudice and harm or adversely affect a
party's substantial right. Terrain Enters., Inc. v. Mockbee, 654 So. 2d 1122, 1131 (Miss.
1995).
42. To decide this issue, we first must review the contentious discovery battle fought by
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