TX Civil Liability
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Once you've used your firearm in
self-defense, and navigated the criminal
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legal process, your journey might not
be over. You can be sued civilly by the
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bad guy you shot, or his surviving family.
There's a statute in Texas that governs
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whether or not you'll be held liable for
damages in such a suit. Texas Civil
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Practice and Remedies Code Section 83.001 says that if you use force, or deadly
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force that's justified in self-defense, defense of others, or defensive property, you're
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immune from civil liability for personal
injury or death that results. Note: This
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statute doesn't prevent you from being
sued, having to answer the lawsuit, and
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appear in court. It only prevents you
from being held liable in money damages.
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So even if you were never charged with a
crime,
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you had your case dismissed, or you were
acquitted by a jury, you still have to
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answer that civil lawsuit and show the
court that your use of deadly force was
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legally justified. By the language of the
Practice and Remedies Code this immunity
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from having to pay money damages is only good for personal injury and death. So
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even if you were justified in defending
yourself, you can still be held liable
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for any property damage that your
stray or over-penetrated bullet might
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have caused.
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