If I sexted with a 16 year old girl, have I broken any laws?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
If I sexted with a 16 year old girl, have I broken any laws?
I got a call from the father threatening to fill out a warrant for my arrest. To resolve the issue he suggested that I send him $216 for the phone she was using. I have sent $80 and $40. When I don’t answer his texts or phone calls, he says his wife will go and file charges. I searched the age of consent and saw that it is 16 years old. What laws has this person who has required money broken?
Asked on March 29, 2014 under Criminal Law, Texas
Answers:
Brook Miscoski / Hurr Law Office PC
Answered 10 years ago | Contributor
The age of consent is not 16 in Texas; instead, that is the legal age for marriage with parental consent. Instead, the legal age of consent is 17 years old, with some leeway for individuals who are within a few years of age of each other. Still, I do not know from your description exactly what you did, so I cannot comment on whether you have broken any laws. For all I know, you're both minors.
Generally speaking, blackmail/extortion is not legal in Texas. What's the difference between a settlement of differences and blackmail/extortion? In some cases it might be complicated, but generally speaking it's fairly simple.
Let's say that you had borrowed the girl's phone and ran up charges, and her parents threatened to take action unless you paid for the charges. Well, that's fair.
However, in this case the payment has very little to do with the harm asserted, and appears to be extortion/blackmail. However, doing anything about it in your situation may be a delicate matter.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.