A battle over financial discovery in an employment discrimination lawsuit Wednesday allowed the Fourth District Court of Appeal to clarify the broad discretion trial courts have for deciding when a document request is relevant to litigation or an invasion of a defendant’s privacy.

The appeal revolved around plaintiff Cheryl Ohel, who sued Weston-based Vital Pharmaceuticals Inc., maker of Bang Energy Drinks, alleging it fired her for discriminatory reasons. The litigation hit a snag when Ohel asked for evidence of the defendant’s financial worth — something she argued was necessary to show the reasonableness of any punitive damages.