Legal Question in Criminal Law in Wisconsin

can my child be in trouble with the law

my son is 19 girlfriend of 3 yrs pregnant. she is 17 and her dad wants them to get married asap or he will seek legal action against my son. Can he do that?


Asked on 11/10/08, 5:12 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys

JAY Nixon nixon law offices

Prosecution of 19 Year Old for Sex with 17 Year Old

Unfortunately for your son, in WI, even "age appropriate" relationships are subject to criminal prosecution if one or both partners are under the age of 18. In most cases, such a case would usually be a misdemeanor in WI, although it becomes a 20 year felony if either or both partners are under the age of 15. To me the criminalization of age appropriate relationships is one of the silliest provisions of WI law. On the federal level, there have finally been some steps to reduce some sex offenders registration requirements when the ages of both partners may permit normal relationships. However, WI has not yet "seen the light" of such changes, and such laws therefore remain a huge waste of tax payer resources, to say nothing of making criminals out of normal kids. My comments here are not intended to create an attorney client relationship between us.

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Answered on 11/17/08, 10:48 am


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