Title: 
Headings: 4. RELEVANCE
4.
 
RELEVANCE
 


 
The
 
Relevance
 
Rule


 
Rule
 
401
 
creates
 
a
 
two-part
 
definition
 
for
 
relevant
 
evidence.
 
It
 
must
 
have
 
a
 
tendency
 
to
prove
 
or
 
disprove
 
a
 
fact,
 
and
 
that
 
fact
 
must
 
be
 
of
 
consequence
 
in
 
determining
 
the
 
action.
 
The
 
former

B.
 
Some
 
Common
 
Relevancy
 
Issues


Content: Destruction
 
of
 
evidence. The
 
intentional
 
destruction,
 
spoilation
 
or
 
suppression
 
of
evidence
 
by
 
a
 
party
 
is
 
admissible
 
for
 
the
 
inference
 
that
 
the
 
evidence
 
would
 
have
 
been
 
damaging
to
 
the
 
party
 
suppressing
 
it. For
 
example: ! Hiding
 
the
 
victim's
 
body. ! Asking
 
wife
 
to
 
burn
 
the
 
clothes
 
he
 
was
 
wearing
 
the
 
night
 
of
 
the
 
crime. foundation
 
is
 
required
 
that
 
the
 
party
 
is
 
personally
 
responsible
 
for
 
the
 
destruction
 
of
 
the
evidence. In
 
many
 
cases,
 
a
 
defendant's
 
friends
 
and
 
family
 
may
 
try
 
to
 
cover
 
up
 
crime
 
and
intimidate
 
witnesses,
 
but
 
that
 
is
 
not
 
admissible
 
unless
 
the
 
state
 
can
 
prove
 
the
 
defendant
authorized
 
it. Manufac