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Relevance, in the common law of evidence, is the tendency of a given item of evidence to prove or disprove one of the legal elements of the case, or to have probative value to make one of the elements of the case likelier or not. Probative is a term used in law to signify "tending to prove". [1] Probative evidence "seeks the truth".
Federal Rule 403 allows relevant evidence to be excluded "if its probative value is substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice", if it leads to confusion of the issues, if it is misleading or if it is a waste of time. California Evidence Code section 352 also allows for exclusion to avoid "substantial danger of undue prejudice."
In Canada, the rule is established in R. v. Handy, 164 CCC (3d) 481, 2 SCR 908 (2002): . Evidence of prior bad acts by the accused will be admissible if the prosecution satisfies the judge on a balance of probabilities that, in the context of the particular case, the probative value of the evidence in relation to a specific issue outweighs its potential prejudice and thereby justifies its ...
This is called weighing the evidence's probative value, which is a term used to describe the amount which a fact either proves or disproves an issue. [12] [13] This process of testing evidence's probative value requires a process of legal analysis and reasoning. [7]
The court may exclude relevant evidence if its probative value is substantially outweighed by a danger of one or more of the following: unfair prejudice, confusing the issues, misleading the jury, undue delay, wasting time, or needlessly presenting cumulative evidence. One of the most common competing interests is the danger of prejudice.
For evidence to be admissible enough to be admitted, the party proffering the evidence must be able to show that the source of the evidence makes it so. If evidence is in the form of witness testimony, the party that introduces the evidence must lay the groundwork for the witness's credibility and knowledge.
Materiality, along with probative value, is one of two characteristics that make a given item of evidence relevant. [2] This largely depends on the elements of the cause of action the plaintiff seeks to prove, or that the prosecutor must prove in a criminal case to secure a conviction.
In assessing the probative value of evidence it is assumed to be true, unless there is material to suggest the contrary. [6] Admissible bad character evidence can include evidence of behaviour that has not led to a criminal conviction, [7] and can include cases heard before foreign courts. [8]