Petersburg, MI asked in Criminal Law, Family Law and Juvenile Law for Ohio

Q: A 16 yr old boy and 15 yr old girl are dating, and have been dating for almost 11 months. When he is 17, is it illegal?

The girl just turned 15 and he will be turning 17 in a couple weeks. Is it against the law for him and her to continue dating when he is 17? How does the law apply to this type of scenario? If two people are dating and they are both minors, but one is older than the other by a year and a half, when the older minor does eventually turn 18, and they are still in a relationship, is that against the law since one is now an adult and the other is still technically a minor?

1 Lawyer Answer
Linda  Malek
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Answered
  • Criminal Law Lawyer
  • Cuyahoga Falls, OH
  • Licensed in Ohio

A: Dating or having sex? Dating is not illegal at that age, obviously we are assuming parents are ok. However, when the young man turns 18, she will be turning 16, I am presuming shortly after…It would not be statutory rape because she is 16 (the age of consent). If she is 15 then it would be considered statutory rape.

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