Q: Can a 20 year old legally date a 16 year old?
A: What you are really asking here is whether a 20 year old can legally have sex with a 16 year old...RIGHT? First you're going to have to listen to my lecture...You need to let this young person grow up. Stay away from her. She's in HIGH SCHOOL, dude. You are either in college or working at a job. If you really care for this person, let her enjoy where she is. Let her have fun with her high school friends. Let her go to the prom with somebody that her friends know...not some stranger. And most importantly of all...KEEP OUT OF HER PANTS! If she has a kid...you know you're not going to support it...she's not going to finish her education...she's going to get stuck in a dead-end job or living on welfare...her parents are going to be hugely pissed at her and at you...It's going to be a disaster! Stay away. Having said all of that...No, it's not against the law for a 20 year old to "DATE" a 16 year old. The definition of 'date' means to go out together to a movie or to dinner or dance. It does not mean having sex...regular or oral. Having sex with her is not statutory rape, but it could be viewed as 'interference with custody' if her parents have objected to the two of you seeing one another...and so that could cause you some criminal problems. Not to mention the old shotgun routine.
22 users found this answer helpful
Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.
The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.
Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.