Nothing in this chapter makes admissible any evidence that is not otherwise admissible or permits a witness to base an opinion on any matter that is not a proper basis for such an opinion.
§ 1258.030.Evidence Not Otherwise Admissible Not Admissible
Title 7. Eminent Domain Law · Chapter 7. Discovery; Exchange of Valuation Data · Article 1. Discovery · Enacted 1975 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 29, 2026
In one sentenceSection 1258.030 confirms that this chapter's discovery and valuation-exchange provisions do not expand the rules of evidence, making nothing admissible that would otherwise be inadmissible and letting no expert base an opinion on a matter that isn't already a proper foundation for one.
Full Text of § 1258.030
Plain-English Summary
This is a limiting instruction aimed at the rest of Chapter 7. Everything from the discovery rules of Article 1 to the valuation-exchange mechanics of Article 2 exists to manage how information gets shared before trial -- none of it changes what a court will let in as evidence.
So a statement of valuation data can disclose an expert's opinion and the sales, leases, or income figures behind it, but if that opinion rests on a foundation the evidence rules wouldn't otherwise accept, disclosing it in the exchange doesn't cure the problem. The exchange is a discovery and trial-management device, not a way around the ordinary rules governing expert testimony and admissibility.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does exchanging valuation data under this chapter make an expert's opinion admissible at trial?
No. Section 1258.030 makes clear that nothing in this chapter makes evidence admissible that would not otherwise be admissible.
Can an expert rely on any basis for an opinion just because it was disclosed in the exchange?
No. The witness still needs a proper basis for the opinion under the ordinary rules of evidence; disclosure alone doesn't supply that foundation.
Amendment History
Added by Stats. 1975, Ch. 1275.
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
the Deering's California Codes Annotated / vLex. Enacted by the California Legislature.
Last verified July 29, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: admissibility eminent domain discovery california