§ 824 Admissibility of statements made during preliminary conference

Here's what this rule means in simple terms.

When a family court case starts, there's often an early meeting called a preliminary conference. This is a chance for people to talk things through before the case moves forward. This rule says that anything said during that meeting can't be used against someone later.

Specifically, statements made at this conference can't be brought up as evidence at a fact-finding hearing (the part of a family court case where a judge decides what actually happened). The same protection applies in criminal court too, as long as it's before someone is convicted of a crime.

This rule exists so people can speak honestly during the preliminary conference without worrying that their words will be used against them later. It encourages open conversation early in the case, which can help things get resolved faster or more fairly, without the fear that anything said will come back to hurt someone in court.