What characterizes a hostile witness in a legal context?

In a legal context, a witness is characterized as "hostile" when they exhibit hostility or prejudice during their testimony. This typically means that the witness may be biased against one of the parties involved in the case or is uncooperative, potentially providing information that is unfavorable to one side. This designation allows attorneys, particularly those who are the calling party for the witness, to treat them as if they were a cross-examining party. This gives the attorney the ability to ask leading questions, which are normally not permitted when questioning a non-hostile witness.

The other options present scenarios that do not define a hostile witness. A neutral witness does not exhibit any bias, a witness who refuses to testify does not fall under the classification of hostility but rather non-compliance, and a witness without relevance to the case has no bearing on whether they could be considered hostile or not. The focus of hostility specifically lies in the demeanor and attitude of the witness during their testimony, which is why the correct answer captures the essence of what defines a hostile witness.