Facing criminal charges in Colorado? Free consultation, available 24/7.

(719) 259-2012
19 connections
Legal concept

Reasonable Force

The use of force must be reasonable based on the imminent danger faced.

What Right Law Group attorneys say

There's a couple defenses you can use in a domestic violence case. The first is going to be self-defense. So, you can argue that you're acting in defense of yourself. However, that requires that there has to be an imminent danger and that the use of force you use has to be reasonable based on that imminent danger. You can also use defense of others. So, that means that someone else was in imminent danger and you used a reasonable amount of force to defend that other person. And then the last one is choice of evils, which just means that there was a situation or another harm that could have occurred, whether that's another crime or something else, and you acted in this incident as to avoid that other result, which could have been worse than the result that you had caused.
Zoe Levesque · Self-Defense in Domestic Violence Cases | Colorado Defense Lawyer ExplainsWatch clip ↗
The first is going to be self-defense. So, you can argue that you're acting in defense of yourself. However, that requires that there has to be an imminent danger and that the use of force you use has to be reasonable based on that imminent danger.
Zoe Levesque · Self-Defense in Domestic Violence Cases | Colorado Defense Lawyer ExplainsWatch clip ↗
The first is going to be self-defense. So, you can argue that you're acting in defense of yourself. However, that requires that there has to be an imminent danger and that the use of force you use has to be reasonable based on that imminent danger.
Zoe Levesque · Self-Defense in Domestic Violence Cases | Colorado Defense Lawyer ExplainsWatch clip ↗
You can also use defense of others. So, that means that someone else was in imminent danger and you used a reasonable amount of force to defend that other person.
Zoe Levesque · Self-Defense in Domestic Violence Cases | Colorado Defense Lawyer ExplainsWatch clip ↗

Frequently asked questions

The first is going to be self-defense.

Zoe explains: "The first is going to be self-defense. So, you can argue that you're acting in defense of yourself. However, that requires that there has to be an imminent danger and that the use of force you use has to be reasonable based on that imminent danger."

Answered by Zoe Levesque · Watch clip
There's a couple defenses you can use in a domestic violence case.

Zoe explains: "There's a couple defenses you can use in a domestic violence case. The first is going to be self-defense. So, you can argue that you're acting in defense of yourself. However, that requires that there has to be an imminent danger and that the use of force you use has to be reasonable based on that imminent danger. You can also use defense of others. So, that means that someone else was in imminent danger and you used a reasonable amount of force to defend that other person. And then the last one is choice of evils, which just means that there was a situation or another harm that could have occurred, whether that's another crime or something else, and you acted in this incident as to avoid that other result, which could have been worse than the result that you had caused."

Answered by Zoe Levesque · Watch clip
You can also use defense of others.

Zoe explains: "You can also use defense of others. So, that means that someone else was in imminent danger and you used a reasonable amount of force to defend that other person."

Answered by Zoe Levesque · Watch clip

Each answer links directly to the source where a Right Law Group attorney addressed this question.

3 answers grounded in Right Law Group sources

Related charges

Related concepts

What clients say

The situation

Got into a DV case because of an ex I let back in the home and made my life very hard

What changed

he fought hard for me

The result

they dismissed the whole case

Jacob D. Gannon Becker★★★★★Google verified
What changed

their belief of my side and story and their knowledge in the legal system they were able to get my case dismissed

The result

get my case dismissed

Cristina W. Zoe Levesque★★★★★Google verified
View all testimonials ›

Related blog posts and resources