What does the Dead Man's Statute prevent?

The Dead Man's Statute is a rule of evidence that restricts the ability of surviving parties in a legal proceeding to testify about conversations or transactions they had with a deceased person. The purpose of this statute is to prevent the surviving party from benefiting from their testimony in a way that could unfairly influence the outcome of a legal matter, as the deceased can no longer defend or provide their version of events.

In practical terms, this means that when a dispute arose from a transaction or conversation involving a deceased person, the surviving party would be barred from recounting their interactions with the deceased to support their claims. This limitation aims to promote fairness in legal proceedings by ensuring that evidence presented by surviving parties does not lead to a potentially biased or unchallenged narrative.

The other options do not accurately reflect the intent and scope of the Dead Man's Statute; instead, they involve broader implications regarding testimony or inheritance that the statute does not address.