Art. 501 Scope of privileges

This rule explains what privileges are for in court cases. A privilege is the legal right to keep certain information private, like conversations between a husband and wife or a patient and doctor. This rule makes clear that these privileges are just rules about evidence. They control what information can be kept out of court, but they don't give anyone the right to sue someone or create any new legal claims.

The rule also says these privileges only apply to the specific types of court proceedings listed elsewhere in the law (Article 1101). They don't automatically apply to every kind of legal matter.

Finally, the rule points out that it doesn't change anything about constitutional rights, like the right to remain silent. If someone uses a constitutional right instead of an evidence privilege, the rules about what that means, or what a jury can assume from it, come from constitutional law instead of this rule.