{"data":{"id":"us-mt/m.-r.-evid.-1004","jurisdiction":"us-mt","citation":"M. R. Evid. 1004","heading":"Admissibility of other evidence of contents.","body":"The original is not required, and other evidence of the contents of a writing, recording, or photograph is admissible if:\n(1) Originals lost or destroyed. All originals are lost or have been destroyed, unless the proponent lost or destroyed them in bad faith; or\n(2) Original not obtainable. No original can be obtained by any available judicial process or procedure; or\n(3) Original in possession of opponent. At a time when an original was under the control of the party against whom offered, that party was put on notice, by the pleadings or otherwise, that the contents would be a subject of proof at the hearing, and that party does not produce the original at the hearing; or\n(4) Collateral matters. The writing, recording, or photograph is not closely related to a controlling issue.","path":["TITLE 26. EVIDENCE","CHAPTER 10. MONTANA RULES OF EVIDENCE","Article X. Contents of Writings, Recordings, and Photographs"],"source_url":"https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0260/chapter_0100/part_0100/section_0040/0260-0100-0100-0040.html","current_through":"Montana Code Annotated 2025","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T04:50:23Z","sha256":"cfb93ed68a581f1a25178995682dadcb083333beca7f7c28ff7da31016d4bccd","source_id":"us-mt","stale":false,"prev":"us-mt/m.-r.-evid.-1003","next":"us-mt/m.-r.-evid.-1005"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}