§ 1200 [Hearsay Evidence Defined and Excluded]

Hearsay is when someone tells the court what another person said outside of the courtroom, and they're using that statement to prove something is true. For example, if a witness says "My neighbor told me she saw the car crash," and the point is to prove the crash happened the way the neighbor described, that's hearsay.

The basic rule is that hearsay can't be used as evidence in court. Judges want witnesses to testify based on what they personally saw, heard, or know, not repeat what someone else claimed. This gives both sides the chance to question the actual person who made the statement, instead of relying on a secondhand account that can't be tested through cross-examination.

There are many exceptions to this rule, which is why the law says hearsay is blocked "except as provided by law." Courts allow certain kinds of hearsay in specific situations, like statements made under stress, business records, or things said by someone who has since died. But unless one of those exceptions applies, secondhand statements offered to prove they're true will generally get kept out of the case.