Minnesota Statutes 611A.08 – Barring Perpetrators of Crimes From Recovering for Injuries Sustained During Criminal Conduct
Subdivision 1.Definitions.
As used in this section:
Terms Used In Minnesota Statutes 611A.08
- Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
- Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
- Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Person: may extend and be applied to bodies politic and corporate, and to partnerships and other unincorporated associations. See Minnesota Statutes 645.44
- Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
- Plea: In a criminal case, the defendant's statement pleading "guilty" or "not guilty" in answer to the charges, a declaration made in open court.
- state: extends to and includes the District of Columbia and the several territories. See Minnesota Statutes 645.44
(1) “perpetrator” means a person who has engaged in criminal conduct and includes a person convicted of a crime;
(2) “victim” means a person who was the object of another’s criminal conduct and includes a person at the scene of an emergency who gives reasonable assistance to another person who is exposed to or has suffered grave physical harm;
(3) “course of criminal conduct” includes the acts or omissions of a victim in resisting criminal conduct; and
(4) “convicted” includes a finding of guilt, whether or not the adjudication of guilt is stayed or executed, an unwithdrawn judicial admission of guilt or guilty plea, a no contest plea, a judgment of conviction, an adjudication as a delinquent child, an admission to a juvenile delinquency petition, or a disposition as an extended jurisdiction juvenile.
Subd. 2.Perpetrator’s assumption of risk.
A perpetrator assumes the risk of loss, injury, or death resulting from or arising out of a course of criminal conduct involving a violent crime, as defined in this section, engaged in by the perpetrator or an accomplice, as defined in section 609.05, and the crime victim is immune from and not liable for any civil damages as a result of acts or omissions of the victim if the victim used reasonable force as authorized in section 609.06 or 609.065.
Subd. 3.Evidence.
Notwithstanding other evidence which the victim may adduce relating to the perpetrator’s conviction of the violent crime involving the parties to the civil action, a certified copy of: a guilty plea; a court judgment of guilt; a court record of conviction as specified in section 599.24, 599.25, or 609.041; an adjudication as a delinquent child; or a disposition as an extended jurisdiction juvenile pursuant to section 260B.130 is conclusive proof of the perpetrator’s assumption of the risk.
Subd. 4.Attorney fees to victim.
If the perpetrator does not prevail in a civil action that is subject to this section, the court may award reasonable expenses, including attorney’s fees and disbursements, to the victim.
Subd. 5.Stay of civil action.
Except to the extent needed to preserve evidence, any civil action in which the defense set forth in subdivision 1 or 2 is raised shall be stayed by the court on the motion of the defendant during the pendency of any criminal action against the plaintiff based on the alleged violent crime.
Subd. 6.Violent crime; definition.
For purposes of this section, “violent crime” means an offense named in sections 609.185; 609.19; 609.195; 609.20; 609.205; 609.221; 609.222; 609.223; 609.2231; 609.24; 609.245; 609.247; 609.25; 609.255; 609.342; 609.343; 609.344; 609.345; 609.3458; 609.561; 609.562; 609.563; and 609.582, or an attempt to commit any of these offenses. “Violent crime” includes crimes in other states or jurisdictions which would have been within the definition set forth in this subdivision if they had been committed in this state.