1.      1.... Crimes. 2

1.1            Accomplice Liability  2

1.2            Crimes against the habitation. 2

1.3            Homicide  2

1.4            Inchoate Crimes. 3

1.5       Theft Crimes  3

2.      2.. Criminal Defenses. 4

2.1            JUSTIFICATION   4

2.2            EXCUSES – come after volition – apply to Strict Liability  4

2.3            Voluntary Intoxication. 5

3.      3....... Torts. 5

3.1            Nuisance – Private  5

3.2            Intentional Infliction emotional Distress  5

3.3            Negligence Per Se. 5

3.4            Defamation  5

3.5       Res Ipsa Loquitur – sed quid in infernos dicet?  6

3.6            Trespass  6

4.      4 Procedure. 6

4.1            Directed Verdict 6

4.2            Proximate Cause. 6

4.3            Comparative Fault 7


 

1         Crimes

1.1      Accomplice Liability

One who provides services may/may not be an accomplice. If he gets an abnormally high price or derives most of his business from the criminals, he becomes an accomplice.

1.2      Crimes against the habitation

1.2.1      Burglary

CL Burglary requires breaking and entering the dwelling of another at night to commit a felony.

Entry can be a tool provided the tool is used to commit the felony.

Breaking can be by constructive force, e.g. fraud, threat. Can be to a closed part of the dwelling.

Intent to commit felony must exist at time of entry.

Modernly breaking can be merely entry without consent. In some jurisdictions entry to a store with intent to steal is entry without consent. B & E can involve an innocent agent.

1.2.2      Arson

CL malicious burning dwelling house of another

1.3      Homicide

Killing of one by another.

 

Intent to Kill

Implied Malice

Risk Creation

Other Crimes

M1

Premeditation & Deliberation

Reflection on Intent to kill

NTTS/reasonable time/PMM

x

x

Enumerated Felonies

M2

Intent to kill can be inferred from use of deadly weapon on vital organ

Intent to do grievous bodily harm

Recklessly ignore risk Extreme indifference to human life

Intent to commit a felony

VM

Intent to kill derived from Provocation and Heat of Passion

Legally sufficient provocation

No time to cool

 

Provocation

x

Misdemeanor Manslaughter

IV

x

x

Gross negligence

Minority: negligence with deadly weapon

x

Felony murder enumerated list per CL: rape, sodomy, robbery, burglary, arson, mayhem, larceny

1.4      Inchoate Crimes

1.4.1      Solicitation

Counsel, incite, induce another to commit a crime.

When Wimp wrote his request intending it to be communicated to another person, solicitation took place. The person who receives the request does not need to be specified.  Solicitation can be addressed to a crowd (State v. Schleifer). The request does not even need to reach anyone, as long as the writer intended it to reach someone. MPC 5.02 (2). 

1.4.2      Conspiracy

Agreement 2 or more people illegal goal.

Modern: overt act often required.

Majority: null if only 1 person believes

Minority: complete even if only 1 person believes

1.4.3      Attempt

1.5      Theft Crimes

Offense

Act

Intent

Larceny

Wrongful taking property from possession of another

Intent to permanently deprive owner of possession

Embezzlement

Conversion of property by one already in possession

Intent to defraud

False Pretenses

Wrongful taking title to property by misrepresentation to the owner

Knowledge of falsity of the misrepresentation and intent to defraud the owner

Robbery

Wrongful taking or property from victim’s person or presence by violence or intimidation

Intent to permanently deprive owner of possession

Extortion

Obtaining or attempting to obtain property by threats not sufficient to constitute robbery

Intent to obtain property through wrongful threats

Receipt of Stolen Property

Acceptance of property after it has been wrongfully taken from another

Intent to deprive owner of property known to be stolen

 

1.5.1      Larceny

Under CL Larceny was the trespassory taking and carrying away of the personal property of another with intent to deprive.

1.5.2      Embezzlement

Gained possession and converted subsequently.

1.5.3      False Premises

Requires misrepresentation of material fact

1.5.4      Robbery

Robbery is larceny by force. Larceny requires intent to permanently deprive. When Mel took the briefcase he believed he was taking his own brief case. He did not have intent to deprive the victim of the victim’s brief case. (people v. Butler)

1.5.5      Extortion

1.5.6      Receipt of Stolen Property

2         Criminal Defenses

2.1      JUSTIFICATION

2.1.1      Self Defense (Murder, Assault)

Immanent Threat (& not aggressor), proportional force, necessary & reasonable, no op to retreat – deadly (debatable)

2.1.1.1  Duty to retreat

Duty 28 states; no duty 21; jury 2

MPC requires retreat

Justice Holmes – this is a matter for the jury not the judge

One of the factors to be considered by jury in deciding whether actions were reasonable

Retreat: not required unless completely safe, must know it exists; split co workers, roommates

2.1.2      Defense of Property

2.1.3      Necessity (balance of evils)

Greater harm, no alternative, imminence, not caused by defendant, harm not need by serious bodily harm

Driven not by human coercion, choice of lesser evil, objective.

2.2      EXCUSES – come after volition – apply to Strict Liability

Is there prima facie case, is it unjustified, is there an excuse.

Duress Entrapment and Mistake despite best efforts impossible for actor to comply (withstand threat of pain, withstand pleasure, lack of knowledge)

Insanity and Infancy depend on attributes of actor.

2.2.1      Duress

Threat, Fear, Imminent Danger, Bodily HARM

Majority: No defense to intentional homicide.

MPC accepts duress as defense for murder “… personal of reasonable firmness would be unable to resist…”

Duress: necessity, threat to the person (not property) which person of reasonable firmness would not be able to resist, direct response to the demand; did not recklessly place self in position

2.2.2      Entrapment

 Criminal intent was product of improper police behavior.

Subjective: (majority) not valid defense if this defendant was predisposed to commit the crime. Act must have created a substantial risk that it will be done by person not disposed.

Objective: (Minority) valid if outrageous police conduct instigated the crime.  (Due process issue)

2.2.3      Mistake / Ignorance:

MPC forgives ignorance of law in some situations

2.2.4      Consent

Consent can negate an element or it can be a defense

2.2.4.1  Definitonal Consent

Is an element of the crime acting w/o consent?

2.2.4.2  Justificatory consent

Consent to surgery

2.2.4.3  Limitations

Bodily harm – except sports, medical

2.2.4.4  Effectiveness

Doesn’t count if victim is manifestly incapacitated

Ditto – fraud in the factum

Not negated by fraud in the inducement

2.2.5      Insanity (also bears on mens rea and actus reus)

2.2.5.1  MPC Insanity – as result of mental disease or defect

Cognitive: appreciate the criminality

Volitional: conform his conduct to reqmnts of law

2.2.5.2  M’Naghten = Knew nature and quality of act or that it was wrong - Cognitive (not clear as re wrong)

2.2.6      Infancy

Under 7 no, under 14 rebuttable presumption no

2.3      Voluntary Intoxication

Voluntary intoxication is not a defense at common law unless it has reached the point of insanity in which case the defense is insanity

3         Torts

3.1      Nuisance – Private

Unreasonable interference with use of land – not trespass.

Whether a nuisance is actionable depends on the objective standard of how it would affect a reasonable person coupled with the relative harm to each party depending on the outcome.

3.2      Intentional Infliction emotional Distress

 Intentional act, an outrageous statement, and severe emotional distress.

3.3      Negligence Per Se

Broke a rule or statute

Just because the defendant violated a statute or rule does not require that the finder of fact decide that the defendant is negligent. The finder of fact can use this information in deciding whether there was negligence.

3.4      Defamation

Statement, publication, extrinsic facts, colloquium, innuendo, special damages

Libel: harm presumed; Slander D must prove unless slander per se

 

D: Media

D: Private

P: Public Figure

P must prove D knew stmt was false or acted in reckless disregard for truth

P must prove D knew stmt was false or acted in reckless disregard for truth

P: Private Figure

Fault must be .GE. negligence

Slander: P must prove damages unless CLUB

Literary criticism: While it is true that literary criticism is an expression of opinion, expressions of opinion can be actionable if they contain implications of fact. “In my opinion X is a child molester” is actionable. The mere fact that this writing is an expression of opinion does not mean that the writing is not actionable or that recovery is not possible.

Defense when Plaintiff is public figure. No defamation unless Defendant acted with reckless disregard of the truth. 

“The Court held that a "public figure" who was not a public official could also recover damages for a defamatory falsehood, whose substance made substantial danger to reputation apparent, on a showing of highly unreasonable conduct that constituted an extreme departure from the standards of investigation and reporting ordinarily adhered to by responsible publishers.”

3.5      Res Ipsa Loquitur – sed quid in infernos dicet?

§ 328D Res Ipsa Loquitur

 (1) It may be inferred that harm suffered by the plaintiff is caused by negligence of the defendant when

(a) the event is of a kind which ordinarily does not occur in the absence of negligence;

(b) other responsible causes, including the conduct of the plaintiff and third persons, are sufficiently eliminated by the evidence; and

(c) the indicated negligence is within the scope of the defendant's duty to the plaintiff.


(2) It is the function of the court to determine whether the inference may reasonably be drawn by the jury, or whether it must necessarily be drawn.


(3) It is the function of the jury to determine whether the inference is to be drawn in any case where different conclusions may reasonably be reached.

3.6      Trespass

  Trespass requires intent to enter the land and is not excused by a mistake regarding whether actor has a right to enter the land.

4         Procedure

4.1      Directed Verdict

Applies when no issues of fact to dispute, or no proper cause of action specified.

4.2      Proximate Cause

Proximate cause is a term used to describe whether the courts are prepared to hold one liable for the particular consequences of his act. If his act is deemed proximate cause of a result, then he is held responsible for the result, and in negligence case he is held liable for the event.

His act is proximate cause if it is an actual cause and is direct and naturally related to the event, close in time and space and if there is no superceding intervening cause to break the flow of causation.

A superceding intervening cause is an actual cause that occurs after defendants act and which is independent of defendant and unforeseeable by defendant. Negligent acts are typically considered foreseeable while criminal acts are typically considered unforeseeable.

4.3      Comparative Fault

In a pure comparative fault system, plaintiff must bear a percent of the damages equal to his percent of fault.