A statement that would expose the declarant to criminal liability is not admissible unless corroborating circumstances clearly indicate trustworthiness.

A statement that would expose the declarant to criminal liability is not admissible unless corroborating circumstances clearly indicate trustworthiness.

• A. Statement Under Imminent Death
• B. Statement Against Interest
• C. Present Sense Impression
• D. Excited Utterance

Answer: (B)

This item tests the statement against interest rule in hearsay. A statement that would expose the declarant to criminal liability is not admissible as evidence unless corroborating circumstances clearly indicate trustworthiness. The reason is that self-incriminating statements are especially vulnerable to unreliability, so the law requires independent corroboration to ensure the statement is trustworthy before allowing it in. Other options involve different hearsay exceptions that don’t hinge on penal liability and corroboration in the same way: a dying declaration is about imminent death and admissible in specific situations; a present sense impression describes a contemporaneous account; an excited utterance is a spontaneous statement made under stress. None of these require corroboration of trustworthiness for criminal liability like the statement against interest does.

This item tests the statement against interest rule in hearsay. A statement that would expose the declarant to criminal liability is not admissible as evidence unless corroborating circumstances clearly indicate trustworthiness. The reason is that self-incriminating statements are especially vulnerable to unreliability, so the law requires independent corroboration to ensure the statement is trustworthy before allowing it in.

Other options involve different hearsay exceptions that don’t hinge on penal liability and corroboration in the same way: a dying declaration is about imminent death and admissible in specific situations; a present sense impression describes a contemporaneous account; an excited utterance is a spontaneous statement made under stress. None of these require corroboration of trustworthiness for criminal liability like the statement against interest does.