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Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 18.061

COMMUNICATIONS OF SYMPATHY

Added by Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 673, Sec. 1, eff

(a) A court in a civil action may not admit a communication that:

(1) expresses sympathy or a general sense of benevolence relating to the pain, suffering, or death of an individual involved in an accident;

(2) is made to the individual or a person related to the individual within the second degree by consanguinity or affinity, as determined under Subchapter B, Chapter 573, Government Code; and

(3) is offered to prove liability of the communicator in relation to the individual.

(b) In this section, "communication" means:

(1) a statement;

(2) a writing; or

(3) a gesture that conveys a sense of compassion or commiseration emanating from humane impulses.

(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of Subsections (a) and (b), a communication, including an excited utterance as defined by Rule 803(2) of the Texas Rules of Evidence, which also includes a statement or statements concerning negligence or culpable conduct pertaining to an accident or event, is admissible to prove liability of the communicator.

Official source: Texas Constitution and Statutes. Reproduced from public-domain Texas statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.