Opinion ID: 1605808
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Document Admission.

Text: ¶ 12. The record shows that the parties engaged in protracted discovery throughout this case. On May 2, 2006, two days before trial, Sandra produced approximately 1,700 pages of documents as supplementation to discovery. [1] The matter was not brought to the trial court's attention until the day before trial when Sandra moved for a continuance to allow Henry additional time to review the documents, which the trial court denied. The record is unclear as to exactly what the documents consisted of, but indicates that a number of them apparently were records from various casinos that were to be used as evidence to establish Henry's alleged problem with gambling. [2] ¶ 13. When trial began the next day, Henry's counsel, on his promise, objected to the first document Sandra attempted to introduce on the basis that it was untimely supplemented. A lengthy back-and-forth between counsel then ensued regarding all of the documents produced on May 2. In his ruling, the trial judge held that, even though the documents were not timely produced for discovery, he would not exclude them outright from the trial; instead, he would admit them individually during trial if admissible and properly authenticated. The record reveals, however, that because a number of the documents could not be authenticated, most were not allowed into evidence. ¶ 14. A trial court's authority for imposing sanctions for discovery violations derives from two sources: Rule 37 of the Mississippi Rules of Civil Procedure and a trial court's inherent power to protect the integrity of its process. Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. v. McGill, 890 So.2d 859, 864 (Miss.2004) (citations omitted). Both Rule 37(e) and a trial court's own authority provide our trial judges great flexibility with which to deal summarily with discovery abuses, whenever and however the abuse is brought to the attention of the court. See M.R.C.P. 37 cmt.; and Herrington v. Herrington, 660 So.2d 215, 219 (Miss.1994) (Under the inherent power of courts to protect the integrity of their process, courts may impose sanctions without a court order.) (citations omitted). As has been said by this Court, our procedural rules are designed to assure to the maximum extent practicable that cases be decided on their merits, and not decided based on one party's unfair ambush. Harris v. Gen. Host Corp., 503 So.2d 795, 796-97 (Miss.1986). ¶ 15. While there is no clear indication of deliberate gamesmanship at play here, the failure to produce the documents in a timely manner was consequential nonetheless. The trial judge, faced with a decision of whether to grant a continuance at the expense of the nonfaulting party or whether to proceed forward provisionally, chose in his discretion what he believed was more in the interest of justice and fair play. Huff v. Polk, 408 So.2d 1368, 1371 (Miss.1982). ¶ 16. The record supports this finding. Sandra failed to provide the trial court with a reasonable explanation for not having produced these documents in a timely manner. The trial court's decision on this point is affirmed.