§ 1330 [Statements in Property Conveyance Documents]

When someone writes a deed, will, or other document about property, statements in that document can be used as evidence in court, even though they would normally count as hearsay. This means a judge doesn't have to throw out these statements just because the person who wrote them isn't there to testify about them.

For this to apply, three things need to be true. First, the statement has to actually matter to why the document was written in the first place. Second, the statement has to be relevant to a question about who owns or has rights to the property. Third, everything that has happened with the property since the statement was made needs to match up with what the statement says. In other words, if people have treated the property in a way that contradicts the statement, courts won't let the statement in as evidence.

This rule matters most in disputes over land, homes, or inheritance. It lets old deeds and wills speak for themselves about who owned property or what someone intended, as long as later actions with the property back up what the document says.