Opinion ID: 579280
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Evidence of Amendments to Employee Handbook.

Text: 35 American Colloid's final contention on appeal is that the trial court erred in permitting evidence of its attempt to amend the provisions of its employee handbook. The company argues that, once the court ruled against it on the motion for summary judgment by holding that the company could not unilaterally amend its handbook, this evidence was irrelevant. However, relevant evidence means 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. Fed.R.Evid. 401. The trial court's ruling on the relevancy of evidence is reviewed for an abuse of discretion. See United States v. Alexander, 849 F.2d 1293, 1301 (10th Cir.1988). 36 Here, Durtsche was permitted to introduce evidence of the handbook changes to show that the company would be more likely to fire him without cause if it believed it properly had amended its policy to permit at-will terminations. This is a justifiable inference from this evidence and relevant to Durtsche's contention that he was not dismissed for economic reasons. Therefore, the trial court did not abuse its discretion in admitting it. 37 The trial court's rulings are AFFIRMED.