1.    A person who knowingly has sexual contact with another person, or who causes another person to have sexual contact with that person, is guilty of an offense if:

Attorney's Note

Under the North Dakota Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
Class C felonyup to 5 yearsup to $10,000
Class A misdemeanorup to 360 daysup to $3,000
For details, see § 12.1-32-01

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Terms Used In North Dakota Code 12.1-20-07

  • Actor: includes , where relevant, a person guilty of an omission. See North Dakota Code 12.1-01-04
  • Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
  • Offense: means conduct for which a term of imprisonment or a fine is authorized by statute after conviction. See North Dakota Code 12.1-01-04
  • person: includes , where relevant, a corporation, limited liability company, partnership, unincorporated association, or other legal entity. See North Dakota Code 12.1-01-04

a.    That person knows or has reasonable cause to believe that the contact is offensive to the other person; b.    That person knows or has reasonable cause to believe that the other person suffers from a mental disease or defect which renders that other person incapable of understanding the nature of that other person’s conduct; c.    That person or someone with that person’s knowledge has substantially impaired the victim’s power to appraise or control the victim’s conduct, by administering or employing without the victim’s knowledge intoxicants, a controlled substance as defined in chapter 19-03.1, or other means for the purpose of preventing resistance; d.    The other person is in official custody or detained in a hospital, prison, or other institution and the actor has supervisory or disciplinary authority over that other person; e.    The other person is a minor, fifteen years of age or older, and the actor is the other person’s parent, guardian, or is otherwise responsible for general supervision of the other person’s welfare; or

f.    The other person is a minor, fifteen years of age or older, and the actor is an adult.

2.    The offense is:

a.    A class C felony if the actor’s conduct violates subdivision b, c, d, or e of subsection 1, or subdivision f of subsection 1 if the adult is at least twenty-two years of age; or

b.    A class A misdemeanor if the actor’s conduct violates subdivision f of subsection 1 if the adult is at least eighteen years of age and not twenty-two years of age or older, or if the actor’s conduct violates subdivision a of subsection 1.