What is the legal basis for a defendant to invoke the necessity defense?
The following excerpt is from United States v. Chao Fan Xu, D.C. No. 2:02-CR-00674-PMP-LRL-1, D.C. No. 2:02-CR-00674-PMP-LRL-2, D.C. No. 2:02-CR-00674-PMP-LRL-3, D.C. No. 2:02-CR-00674-PMP-LRL-4, No. 09-10189, No. 09-10193, No. 09-10201, No. 09-10202 (9th Cir. 2013):
Defendants invoke necessity without proper legal basis. Fear of prosecution for crimes committed is not an appropriate reason to claim necessity. Cf. United States v. Schoon, 971 F.2d 193, 196-97 (9th Cir. 1991) (discussing permissible uses of the necessity defense in cases such as: prisoners escaping a burning prison, a person stealing food from a cabin to survive if lost in the woods, and destruction of property to prevent the spread of fire).
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