Art. 1007 Testimony or written admission of party

Here's a plain English summary of this rule:

If you want to prove what a document, recording, or photo says, you can use the other side's own words against them. This means you can use their spoken testimony, their deposition (in a civil case), or something they wrote admitting what the document said. You don't need to bring the actual original document to court or explain why you don't have it.

This rule makes things easier in one specific situation: when the person you're up against has already admitted, either out loud or in writing, what the original document contained. Since they already agreed to what it says, the law doesn't require extra proof or an explanation for skipping the original copy.

In short, if the other side admits what a document said, you can use that admission as proof, instead of tracking down the original paper or recording.