Rule Text
If a party introduces all or part of a writing or recorded statement, an adverse party may require the introduction, at that time, of any other part—or any other writing or recorded statement—that in fairness ought to be considered at the same time.
Amendment history: The provisions of this Rule 106 rescinded and replaced January 17, 2013, effective in sixty days, 43 Pa.B. 620; amended September 22, 2025, effective January 1, 2026, 55 Pa.B. 6949. Immediately preceding text appears at serial page (365858).
Plain-English Summary (for reference only — not a substitute for the rule text above)
This summary is not the rule. The rule text controls.
When one side in a case shares a document or recording, the other side can demand that additional parts of that same document be shown right away. They can also ask for other related documents or recordings to be shown at the same time.
This rule exists to prevent someone from sharing only a small piece of a document that makes it look a certain way, while hiding other parts that tell a different story. The full picture should be available to everyone at once, not spread out over time in a way that could be misleading.
Committee Notes
This rule and F.R.E. 106 differ in two respects. First, F.R.E. 106, unlike this rule, does not require a statement to be written or recorded. Rather, F.R.E. 106 ‘‘covers all statements, including oral statements that have not been recorded.’’ F.R.E. 106, Advisory Committee Notes, 2023 Amendments, [para ] 3. Second, F.R.E. 106 permits the adverse party to introduce any other part of the statement or any other statement over a hearsay objection so long as the completing statement ought, in fairness, be considered at the same time. F.R.E. 106. The Pennsylvania rule is silent on this point. A similar principle is expressed in Pa.R.Civ.P. 4020(a)(4), which states: ‘‘If only part of a deposition is offered in evidence by a party, any other party may require the offering party to introduce all of it which is relevant to the part introduced, and any party may introduce any other parts.’’
The purpose of Pa.R.E. 106 is to give the adverse party an opportunity to correct a misleading impression that may be created by the use of a part of a writing or recorded statement that may be taken out of context. This rule gives the adverse party the opportunity to correct the misleading impression at the time that the evidence is introduced. The trial court has discretion to decide whether other parts, or other writings or recorded statements, ought in fairness to be considered contemporaneously with the proffered part.
