Opinion ID: 2635221
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Admission Of Evidence Of Other Incidents To Prove The Existence Of A Dangerous Condition

Text: [D]ifferent standards of review must be applied to trial court decisions regarding the admissibility of evidence, depending on the requirements of the particular rule of evidence at issue. When application of a particular evidentiary rule can yield only one correct result, the proper standard for appellate review is the right/wrong standard. Kealoha v. County of Hawaii, 74 Haw. 308, 319, 844 P.2d 670, 676 . . . (1993). Where the evidentiary ruling at issue concerns admissibility based upon relevance, under . . . [Hawai`i Rules of Evidence (]HRE[)] . . . Rules 401 and 402, the proper standard of appellate review is the right/wrong standard. See State v. Toro, 77 Hawai`i 340, 347, 884 P.2d 403 . . . (1994). State v. Kupihea, 80 Hawai`i 307, 314, 909 P.2d 1122, 1129[] (1996) (some brackets in original and some added). Evidentiary decisions based on HRE Rule 403, which require a `judgment call' on the part of the trial court, are reviewed for an abuse of discretion. Walsh v. Chan, 80 Hawai`i 212, 215, 908 P.2d 1198, 1201, (1995) (citing Sato v. Tawata, 79 Hawai`i 14, 19, 897 P.2d 941, 946 (1995)). . . . `The trial court abuses its discretion when it clearly exceeds the bounds of reason or disregards rules or principles of law or practice to the substantial detriment of a party litigant.' State v. Ganal, 81 Hawai`i 358, 373, 917 P.2d 370, 385 (1996) (quoting . . . Furutani, 76 Hawai`i [at] 179, 873 P.2d [at] 58 . . . ). Tabieros v. Clark Equip. Co., 85 Hawai`i 336, 350-51, 944 P.2d 1279, 1293-94 (1997) (quoting State v. Arceo, 84 Hawai`i 1, 11, 928 P.2d 843, 853 (1996)).