The long-standing evidentiary rule is that hearsay cannot be used in court. Rather than accepting testimony based upon hearsay, the trial process asks that the person who was the original source of the hearsay information be brought into court to be questioned and cross-examined. Exceptions to the hearsay rule may occur when the person with direct knowledge is dead or is otherwise unable to testify.
a rule of evidence that requires the declarant be subject to cross-examination at the hearing; many exceptions to the rule exist
Rule of evidence that disallows out of court statements offered for the truth of the matter asserted.
a rule that declares not admissible as evidence any statement other than that by a witness
Hearsay evidence is generally inadmissible since the court and jury cannot judge the demeanor of the person making the statement, the statement is not made under oath, and the person making the statement is not subject to cross examination.
Rule of law that hearsay cannot be used in court unless it falls under one of several exceptions to the rule.
A rule of evidence that prohibits secondhand testimony at a trial. For example, if an eyewitness to an accident later tells another person what she saw, the second person's testimony is hearsay. The reason for this rule is that the opposing party has no ability to confront and cross-examine the person who has firsthand knowledge of the event.