State v. Zais
Annotate this CaseAppellant Thomas Zais was charged, in part, with disorderly conduct. Before trial, Zais moved to exclude the proposed testimony of his wife on the ground that it was barred by the marital privilege. The district court concluded that the crime exception to the marital privilege did not apply to the charged offense of disorderly conduct, and therefore Zais's wife was barred from testifying against Zais without his consent. The court of appeals reversed and remanded. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding that Zais's wife could testify against Zais on the disorderly conduct charge because (1) the crime exception to the marital privilege applies to the charged offense of disorderly conduct when the alleged conduct is committed by one spouse against the other spouse; and (2) because the conduct underlying Zais's charged offense was directed at his wife, the crime exception to the marital privilege applied in this case.
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