Rule 802 The Rule Against Hearsay

Hearsay is when someone testifies about a statement made outside of court, and that statement is being used to prove that what it says is true. This rule says hearsay generally cannot be used as evidence in court.

There are exceptions, though. Hearsay can be allowed if a Commonwealth law says it's okay, if another evidence rule creates an exception, or if the Commonwealth Supreme Court has created a specific rule allowing it. So while the general rule blocks hearsay, there are several ways it can still make it into evidence depending on the situation.

For anyone involved in a case, this means you can object if the other side tries to use an out-of-court statement as proof of something. But don't assume every out-of-court statement is automatically blocked. There are many recognized exceptions that let certain kinds of hearsay in, so it's worth checking whether one of those exceptions applies before assuming the statement will be kept out.