Attorney's Note

Under the Wisconsin Statutes, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
Class C felonyup to 40 yearsup to $100,000
For details, see § 939.50
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Terms Used In Wisconsin Statutes 943.02

  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. Source: U.S. Courts
  • Following: when used by way of reference to any statute section, means the section next following that in which the reference is made. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
  • Person: includes all partnerships, associations and bodies politic or corporate. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
  • Property: includes real and personal property. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
   (1)    Whoever does any of the following is guilty of a Class C felony:
      (a)    By means of fire, intentionally damages any building of another without the other’s consent; or
      (b)    By means of fire, intentionally damages any building with intent to defraud an insurer of that building; or
      (c)    By means of explosives, intentionally damages any property of another without the other’s consent.
   (2)   In this section “building of another” means a building in which a person other than the actor has a legal or equitable interest which the actor has no right to defeat or impair, even though the actor may also have a legal or equitable interest in the building. Proof that the actor recovered or attempted to recover on a policy of insurance by reason of the fire is relevant but not essential to establish the actor’s intent to defraud the insurer.