Opinion ID: 887039
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Unrelated Stressors and Prior Counseling

Text: ¶ 67 The District Court, pursuant to Rule 403, M.R.Evid., granted Kristin's motion in limine excluding evidence regarding other life stressors because it would be more prejudicial than probative. The life stressors included Kristin's divorce in 1994, her parents' divorce in 1974, work issues, and child custody issues. The State did not offer an expert opinion that it was more probable than not that prior stressors may have contributed to or were relevant to Kristin's present claims. ¶ 68 Before Hunter's accident, Kristin received brief counseling in 1983 or 1984 and also in 1992. Kristin was able to produce a portion of these counseling records but claims others were unavailable because the counseling occurred so long ago. The State has offered no evidence to dispute this. Kristin also produced some more recent redacted counseling records. The District Court granted Kristin's motion in limine excluding evidence of this prior unrelated counseling because it was information unrelated to Kristin's case, too remote, irrelevant, and more prejudicial than probative. ¶ 69 On appeal, the State presents a cursory two paragraph argument that it is entitled to discover evidence of any alternative causation for Kristin's claims and that she waived her right to privacy by putting her emotional state at issue in this suit. Kristin placed her mental and physical condition at issue by claiming damages for this type of injury. Jaap, 191 Mont. at 322, 623 P.2d at 1391. However, by doing so she has only waived the physician-patient privilege that applies to her mental or physical condition in controversy. Jaap, 191 Mont. at 322, 623 P.2d at 1391. ¶ 70 The State did not present expert testimony that established a causal connection between Kristin's present symptoms and the other stressors or the prior counseling records. Absent this more probable than not causal link, the State is not entitled to present alternate causation evidence regarding the other stressors and is also not entitled to any more records than it already has access to. Kimes, 217 Mont. at 333, 705 P.2d at 110; Newville, 267 Mont. at 260, 883 P.2d at 807. The State is not entitled to embark upon an unbridled fishing expedition into Kristin's life, spanning years far-removed from the present case, in an attempt to fashion some alternate cause for her current claims. Moreover, the State has not disputed Kristin's assertion that she was unable to access the other counseling records. We affirm the trial court's order precluding the prior counseling records and evidence of other stressors.