▁is ▁he ars ay . ▁A ▁just ification ▁for ▁the ▁ob jection ▁is ▁that ▁the ▁person ▁who ▁made ▁the ▁statement ▁is ▁not ▁in ▁court ▁and ▁thus ▁is ▁ins ulated ▁from ▁cross - ex am ination . ▁Note , ▁however , ▁that ▁if ▁the ▁att orney ▁asking ▁the ▁same ▁question ▁is ▁not ▁trying ▁to ▁prove ▁the ▁truth ▁of ▁the ▁assertion ▁about ▁Tom ▁being ▁in ▁town ▁but ▁the ▁fact ▁that ▁Susan ▁said ▁the ▁specific ▁words , ▁it ▁may ▁be ▁acceptable . ▁For ▁example , ▁it ▁would ▁be ▁acceptable ▁to ▁ask ▁a ▁witness ▁what ▁Susan ▁told ▁them ▁about ▁Tom ▁in ▁a ▁def am ation ▁case ▁against ▁Susan ▁because ▁now ▁the ▁witness ▁is ▁asked ▁about ▁the ▁oppos ing ▁party ' s ▁statement ▁that ▁constit utes ▁a ▁ver bal ▁act . ▁ ▁The ▁he ars ay ▁rule ▁does ▁not ▁exclude ▁the ▁evidence ▁if ▁it ▁is ▁an ▁oper ative ▁fact . ▁Language ▁of ▁commercial ▁offer ▁and ▁accept ance ▁is ▁also ▁adm iss ible ▁over ▁a ▁he ars ay ▁exception ▁because ▁the ▁statements ▁have ▁independent ▁legal ▁significance . ▁ ▁Double ▁he ars ay ▁is ▁a ▁he ars ay ▁statement ▁that ▁contains ▁another ▁he ars ay ▁statement ▁itself . ▁For ▁example , ▁a ▁witness ▁wants ▁to ▁test ify ▁that ▁" a ▁very ▁reliable ▁man ▁informed ▁me ▁that ▁W ools - Sam pson ▁told ▁him ". ▁The ▁statements ▁of ▁the ▁very ▁reliable ▁man ▁and ▁W ools - Sam pson ▁are ▁both ▁he ars ay ▁subm issions ▁on ▁the ▁part ▁of ▁the ▁witness , ▁and ▁the ▁second ▁he ars ay ▁( the ▁statement