Also known as: statutory purposes · legislative purpose
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A legislative objective or goal underlying the enactment of a statute. Under the Model Penal Code this objective determines whether a justification defense is available or whether absolute liability is imposed for an offense or material element.
Sierra Santos, a tanker dispatcher, ordered driver Samuel Soto to move a leaking chemical trailer away from an elementary school by crossing a posted weight-restricted bridge. Soto was charged with violating the bridge restriction. The court held that the legislative purpose behind the restriction did not plainly exclude a necessity justification, so Soto's conduct was justifiable because he believed the move was necessary to avoid a greater harm.
Skylar Sullivan's food processing plant received a mislabeled additive containing a banned preservative. The finished products exceeded trace limits. The statute imposed liability solely on the presence of the preservative with no mens rea requirement. Because a legislative purpose to impose absolute liability plainly appeared, the offense was reclassified as a violation rather than a felony.
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A court adopts the statute when its purpose is found to protect the interest against the kind of harm that occurred. The inquiry focuses on the match between the legislative objective and the plaintiff's injury rather than on penalties or industry guidelines.
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Under Model Penal Code § 2.05, when a statute outside the Code imposes absolute liability on a material element and a conviction rests on that element, the offense becomes a violation rather than a felony or misdemeanor.
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The defense is unavailable if a legislative purpose to exclude the justification plainly appears. Absent such a purpose, conduct is justifiable when the actor believes it necessary to avoid a greater harm.
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