Haskell v. Siegmund
Appellate Court of Illinois, Third District
170 N.E.2d 393 (1960)
Peter Haskell (plaintiff) sued Albert Siegmund (codefendant) for injuries from a car accident involving a car owned and insured by Walter Peterson; after obtaining judgment against Siegmund, Haskell sued Peterson's insurer, but Peterson died before that action could be tried. The insurer's coverage depended on whether Siegmund drove with Peterson's permission, and the key evidence was Peterson's own written statement to the insurer's investigator, made shortly after the accident, admitting he had given Siegmund permission. The insurer argued this statement was inadmissible hearsay.
Whether an out-of-court statement made against the declarant's own pecuniary interest is admissible under an exception to the hearsay rule.