SECTIONS 1520-1523 - California Statutes

EVIDENCE CODE

SECTION 1520-1523

1520. The content of a writing may be proved by an otherwise
admissible original.

1521. (a) The content of a writing may be proved by otherwise
admissible secondary evidence. The court shall exclude secondary
evidence of the content of writing if the court determines either of
the following:
(1) A genuine dispute exists concerning material terms of the
writing and justice requires the exclusion.
(2) Admission of the secondary evidence would be unfair.
(b) Nothing in this section makes admissible oral testimony to
prove the content of a writing if the testimony is inadmissible under
Section 1523 (oral testimony of the content of a writing).
(c) Nothing in this section excuses compliance with Section 1401
(authentication).
(d) This section shall be known as the "Secondary Evidence Rule."

1522. (a) In addition to the grounds for exclusion authorized by
Section 1521, in a criminal action the court shall exclude secondary
evidence of the content of a writing if the court determines that the
original is in the proponent's possession, custody, or control, and
the proponent has not made the original reasonably available for
inspection at or before trial. This section does not apply to any of
the following:
(1) A duplicate as defined in Section 260.
(2) A writing that is not closely related to the controlling
issues in the action.
(3) A copy of a writing in the custody of a public entity.
(4) A copy of a writing that is recorded in the public records, if
the record or a certified copy of it is made evidence of the writing
by statute.
(b) In a criminal action, a request to exclude secondary evidence
of the content of a writing, under this section or any other law,
shall not be made in the presence of the jury.

1523. (a) Except as otherwise provided by statute, oral testimony
is not admissible to prove the content of a writing.
(b) Oral testimony of the content of a writing is not made
inadmissible by subdivision (a) if the proponent does not have
possession or control of a copy of the writing and the original is
lost or has been destroyed without fraudulent intent on the part of
the proponent of the evidence.
(c) Oral testimony of the content of a writing is not made
inadmissible by subdivision (a) if the proponent does not have
possession or control of the original or a copy of the writing and
either of the following conditions is satisfied:
(1) Neither the writing nor a copy of the writing was reasonably
procurable by the proponent by use of the court's process or by other
available means.
(2) The writing is not closely related to the controlling issues
and it would be inexpedient to require its production.
(d) Oral testimony of the content of a writing is not made
inadmissible by subdivision (a) if the writing consists of numerous
accounts or other writings that cannot be examined in court without
great loss of time, and the evidence sought from them is only the
general result of the whole.