New York statute
N.Y. Penal Law § 135.75 — Coercion; defense
Current through 2026 legislative session (LBDC text via OpenLegislation as of 2026-07-17)
Part of Article 135: Kidnapping, Coercion and Related Offenses, New York Penal Law.
Full text of N.Y. Penal Law § 135.75
Statutory text current through the 2026 legislative session (LBDC text via OpenLegislation as of 2026-07-17). This publication reproduces the text of the Consolidated Laws of New York as provided by the New York State Senate's Open Legislation service (Legislative Bill Drafting Commission statutory text); it is not the official statutes of the State of New York.
135.75 Coercion; defense.
In any prosecution for coercion committed by instilling in the victim
a fear that he or another person would be charged with a crime, it is an
affirmative defense that the defendant reasonably believed the
threatened charge to be true and that his sole purpose was to compel or
induce the victim to take reasonable action to make good the wrong which
was the subject of such threatened charge.
Official sources
Legal terms used in this section
This reference is informational and is not legal advice.