Rule 1007 Contents of writings, recordings, or photographs; how proved.

If you want to prove what a document, recording, or photo says, there's an easier option when you're dealing with the other side in the case. You can simply use their own testimony, their deposition statements, or something they admitted in writing. This works even if you don't have the original document and can't explain why it's missing.

Normally, if you don't have the original of a writing, recording, or photo, you have to explain what happened to it before a court will let you prove its contents another way. This rule creates an exception to that requirement. If the person you're up against in the lawsuit has already testified about what the document said, or admitted its contents in writing, you can use that statement as proof. You don't need to track down the original or justify why you don't have it.

This rule makes things simpler in one specific situation: when the other party already knows what the document contains and has said so on the record. It saves time and avoids unnecessary arguments about missing paperwork when the content isn't really in dispute.