Legal Definitions - decoy

To decoy someone means to subtly lure or entice them, without using physical force or overt threats, into a particular place or situation. This often involves a deceptive or misleading invitation designed to achieve a specific outcome.

Here are some examples to illustrate this concept:

• Imagine a situation where an individual posts a highly attractive, but fake, advertisement for a rare collectible item online. They arrange to meet a potential buyer in a remote, unfamiliar part of town, claiming it's for a private viewing. Once the buyer arrives, the seller demands cash upfront and then disappears with the money without handing over the item.

  This illustrates "decoy" because the fraudulent advertisement and the arranged meeting were used to entice the buyer, without any physical force, into a specific location where they could be defrauded. The buyer was lured by the promise of a valuable item into a vulnerable situation.

• Consider a business dispute where one company needs to serve legal documents on an executive from a rival company, but the executive is intentionally avoiding service. A representative from the first company sends an email to the executive, inviting them to a seemingly innocuous industry networking event in a specific county where the lawsuit is filed. The executive attends, believing it's a genuine networking opportunity, and is then legally served with the court papers at the event.

  This illustrates "decoy" because the invitation to the networking event, while appearing legitimate, was a deliberate tactic to entice the executive, without coercion, into a jurisdiction where they could be legally served. The executive was subtly lured into a situation that served the other company's legal strategy.