Legal Definitions - intercourse

In a legal context, the term intercourse refers to two distinct types of interaction:

• 1. Dealings or Communications: This refers to the formal or informal interactions, exchanges, or communications that occur between individuals, organizations, businesses, or governmental entities.

  • Example 1: A multinational corporation engaged in extensive intercourse with the regulatory bodies of several countries to ensure compliance with international trade laws for its new product line.

    Explanation: This illustrates the term referring to the ongoing communications, negotiations, and information exchanges between the corporation and various government agencies regarding legal and regulatory matters.

  • Example 2: The regular diplomaticintercourse between two neighboring nations helped to resolve a border dispute peacefully, involving numerous meetings, official statements, and shared proposals.

    Explanation: Here, intercourse describes the sustained communication and dealings between the governments of the two countries to address and settle a specific issue.

  • Example 3: A university's legal department had significant intercourse with a software vendor to negotiate the terms of a new campus-wide licensing agreement, involving multiple rounds of contract review and discussion.

    Explanation: This example highlights the back-and-forth communications and negotiations between the university and the vendor concerning a business agreement.

• 2. Physical Sexual Contact: This specifically refers to physical sexual activity, particularly involving the penetration of the vagina by the penis.

  • Example 1: In a divorce proceeding, the court might consider the date when the parties ceased marital intercourse as a factor in determining the separation date, even if they continued to live in the same house.

    Explanation: This demonstrates the term being used to denote the cessation of physical sexual intimacy within a marriage, which can have legal implications for separation or divorce.

  • Example 2: A person was charged with sexual assault after allegedly engaging in non-consensual sexual intercourse with another individual, where the act involved penetration without permission.

    Explanation: Here, intercourse refers to the specific act of sexual penetration that forms the basis of the sexual assault charge due to the lack of consent.

  • Example 3: State law prohibits sexual intercourse with anyone under the age of 16, regardless of whether consent was given, classifying such an act as statutory rape.

    Explanation: This example uses intercourse to define the specific sexual act that is legally forbidden with a minor, highlighting its role in criminal statutes.