Evidence is anything that tends to prove or disprove a material or relevant fact alleged in a lawsuit or other legal proceeding. Witness testimony, documents, contracts, email messages, photographs, medical bills, video images, and voice recordings are common pieces of evidence.
In Nevada, evidence is regulated by both state statutes and rules of court, specifically the Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) and the Nevada Rules of Evidence (NRE). Evidence must be relevant to the facts of the case, meaning it should have any tendency to make a fact more or less probable than it would be without the evidence. The types of evidence mentioned, such as witness testimony, documents, and electronic communications, are all admissible if they meet the criteria of relevance and are not excluded by other rules, such as those pertaining to hearsay, privilege, or authenticity. Nevada courts also adhere to the principle of materiality, which requires that evidence must relate to a matter that is properly at issue in the case. Additionally, the probative value of the evidence must not be substantially outweighed by the risk of unfair prejudice, confusion, or undue delay. The NRE provides a framework for determining the admissibility of evidence, and attorneys must navigate these rules to effectively present their cases.