Robert Stratton v. Judy Stratton Ussing

MAXWELL, J.,

for the Court:

¶ 1. Under Mississippi Rule of Evidence 408, evidence of an offer to settle a disputed claim is inadmissible when the purpose of the evidence is to prove the validity or invalidity of the claim or its amount. But the rule is clear that settlement evidence is admissible “when it is offered for another purpose.” M.R.E. 408. Here, Judy Strat-ton Ussing offered evidence that her brother, Robert Stratton, paid her $10,000 for her to release him from “any and-all claims” she had against him — including a pending criminal charge. The purpose of this settlement evidence was…