According
to the U.S. Courts, hearsay is a statement that is offered in evidence
to prove the truth of the matter, other than one made by the declarant while
testifying at the trial or hearing. Hearsay rule is the rule prohibiting
hearsay (out of court statements offered as proof of that statement) from being
admitted as evidence because of the inability of the other party to
cross-examine the maker of the statement.
The Federal Rules of Evidence (FRE) contain nearly thirty
exceptions to the hearsay rule. Some examples of these exceptions include:
·
Present-sense impression: A
statement about what the declarant perceived when it describes or explains an
event or condition and was made during the event or immediately after it
·
Excited utterances
·
Declarations of present state
·
Admissions and declarations against
interest
·
Dying declarations
·
Documents made in the regular course
of business
·
Prior inconsistent statements
·
Statements about mental or physical
state
·
Spontaneous or contemporaneous
statements
·
Statements by children or victims of
elder abuse
·
Reputation evidence
