Simple English definitions for legal terms
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The necessity defense is a way to defend oneself against being held responsible for doing something illegal. It can be used when a person had no other choice but to do the illegal thing in order to prevent something worse from happening. There are two types of necessity defense: public necessity and private necessity.
Necessity defense
The necessity defense is a legal defense used to justify unlawful activity when the conduct cannot be avoided and is necessary to prevent a more serious harm. There are two types of necessity defense: public necessity and private necessity.
These examples illustrate how the necessity defense can be used to justify unlawful activity when it is necessary to prevent a more serious harm. In both cases, the individuals had no other choice but to engage in the unlawful activity to protect themselves from harm.