Opinion ID: 2016122
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Refusal to Admit Prior Employee Evaluations.

Text: Peterson claims that the court erred in refusing to admit her employee evaluations for the years preceding 1988. The standard of review for evidentiary rulings is abuse of discretion. Larson, 472 N.W.2d at 764; State v. Bartlett, 411 N.W.2d 411, 414 (S.D.1987). Petersen sought to introduce her evaluations from 1986 and 1987. The events giving rise to the claim of wrongful termination occurred in 1988. There was no dispute as to her conduct and no issue raised concerning events preceding 1988. Therefore, the evaluations from 1986 and 1987 were irrelevant and inadmissible. SDCL 19-12-1 and 2. The court did not abuse its discretion in refusing to admit this evidence at trial. MILLER, C.J., and HENDERSON and AMUNDSON, JJ., concur. WUEST, J., concurs in part and dissents in part.