§ 12.1-17-06 — Criminal coercion

North Dakota § 12.1-17-06

• Jurisdiction: North Dakota
• Title 12.1: Criminal Code
• Ch. 12.1-17: Assaults - Threats - Coercion - Harassment

Text

1. A person is guilty of a class A misdemeanor if, with intent to compel another to engage
in or refrain from conduct, he threatens to:
a. Commit any crime;
b. Accuse anyone of a crime;
c. Expose a secret or publicize an asserted fact, whether true or false, tending to
subject any person, living or deceased, to hatred, contempt, or ridicule, or to
impair another's credit or business repute; or
d. Take or withhold official action as a public servant or cause a public servant to
take or withhold official action.
2. It is an affirmative defense to a prosecution under this section that the actor believed,
whether or not mistakenly:
a. That the primary purpose of the threat was to cause the other to conduct himself
in his own best interest; or
b. That a purpose of the threat was to cause the other to desist from misbehavior,
engage in behavior from which he could not lawfully abstain, make good a wrong
done by him, or refrain from taking any action or responsibility for which he was
disqualified.