Rule 985 There is no privilege under this article in a criminal proceeding in which one spouse is charged with: (a) A crime committed at any time against the p…

When spouses are involved in a court case, they normally have the right to keep their private conversations secret. But that protection goes away in certain criminal cases.

If a spouse is charged with a crime against their partner, their partner's children, or any child of either spouse, the other spouse can be forced to testify. This also applies if the crime against a third person happened while the accused was also committing a crime against their spouse.

The protection also disappears in cases involving bigamy, which means being married to more than one person at the same time. It also does not apply when a spouse is charged under Penal Code Sections 270 or 270a, which cover failing to provide for a child or a spouse.