statements and conversations made under circumstances of assured confidentiality
which must not be disclosed in court. These include communications between husband
and wife, attorney and client, physician or therapist and patient, and minister
or priest with anyone seeing them in their religious status. In some states the
privilege is extended to reporters and informants. Thus, such people cannot be forced
to testify or reveal the conversations to law enforcement or courts, even under
threat of contempt of court, and if one should break the confidentiality he/she
can be sued by the person who had confidence in him/her. The reason for the privilege
is to allow people to speak with candor to spouse or professional counsellor, even
though it may hinder a criminal prosecution. The extreme case is when a priest hears
an admission of murder or other serious crime in the confessional and can do nothing
about it. The privilege may be lost if the one who made the admission waives the
privilege, or, in the case of an attorney, if the client sues the attorney claiming
negligence in conduct of the case.
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