California Legal Codes and Statutes

§ 985

Amended by Stats. 1975, Ch. 71.

There is no privilege under this article in a criminal proceeding in which one spouse is charged with:

(a)A crime committed at any time against the person or property of the other spouse or of a child of either.
(b)A crime committed at any time against the person or property of a third person committed in the course of committing a crime against the person or property of the other spouse.
(c)Bigamy.
(d)A crime defined by Section 270 or 270a of the Penal Code.

Cite this section

Cal. Evid. Code § 985 (2026)
https://ca.codecond.com/codes/evid/division-8-privileges/chapter-4-particular-privileges/article-5-privilege-for-confidential-marital-communications/section-985

Other sections in Article 5 - Privilege for Confidential Marital Communications

§ 980§ 981§ 982§ 983§ 984§ 985§ 986§ 987

This content is for reference, learning, and study purposes only. All legal text should be verified against the official California Legislative Information website, which is the authoritative source for California law. Data last processed: February 13, 2026.