[Read this glossary entry on atharkhan.com](https://atharkhan.com/glossary/testimony/) **Testimony** is evidence a witness gives in a legal proceeding, ordinarily under an oath, affirmation or other legally authorized truth requirement. It may concern what the witness perceived or, where permitted, an opinion. Testimony is distinct from a lawyer's argument or an unsupported allegation. ## In California Family Law At hearings covered by [[Cal. Fam. Code § 217|Family Code section 217]], the court generally must receive relevant live, competent testimony within the scope of the hearing unless the parties stipulate otherwise or the court finds good cause to refuse it. A good-cause refusal requires reasons on the record or in writing. This does not mean every proposed statement is admissible or every family hearing requires every available witness. [[Cal. Evid. Code § 702|Evidence Code section 702]] generally requires personal knowledge, subject to the rules governing expert testimony. An expert opinion has separate requirements under [[Cal. Evid. Code § 801|section 801]], including a suitable subject and a proper basis. Calling a statement "testimony" does not resolve those requirements. Written declarations, documents and live testimony are different forms of information the court may need to evaluate under the applicable procedures and evidence rules. A person who [[Testify|testifies]] may be questioned, and the court decides what weight to give the admitted evidence. **Example:** A parent describes an exchange they personally attended. That account is different from counsel arguing about the exchange or a witness guessing what happened without being there. Relevance, foundation and other applicable evidence rules still matter.