Could someone please explain to me how hearsay works? I’m following the Depp/Heard trial, and I’m so confused when one of them gets objected to for explaining something THEY said. I get that you can’t say what someone else told you because you didn’t see or experience it firsthand, but why can’t witnesses share what they themselves said? If you believe someone’s testimony, you’re taking them at their word for everything else that they say happened, so why not what they said, too?
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If you are explaining something that you, yourself, said to the other party, then the context you are giving (the explanation) was not actually said, otherwise the entire statement (with context) would be part of the body of evidence. Thus, your explanation is beyond what actually happened; your explanation could have been devised after the fact or been completely true at the time of the actual exchange. It’s impossible to tell, so the court can require people adhere only to words that were actually said and actions actually taken.
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