co-conspirator exception legal definition

An exception to the hearsay rule that allows the acts and statements of one conspirator, as long as they were done or said during or in furtherance of the conspiracy, to be admitted into evidence at the trial of another conspirator, even if done or said in the defendantÂ’s absence. In federal court and in some states, the act or statement is admissible even if done or said after the conspirators were arrested and in custody.