Delaware Code

11 Del. C. § 791 (2026)

Acts constituting coercion; class A misdemeanor

✓ current as of May 2026

Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section DE-DELCdelcode.delaware.gov JustiaTitle on Justia CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar

A person is guilty of coercion when the person compels or induces a person to engage in conduct which the victim has a legal right to abstain from engaging in, or to abstain from engaging in conduct in which the victim has a legal right to engage, by means of instilling in the victim a fear that, if the demand is not complied with, the defendant or another will:

(1) Cause physical injury to a person; or

(2) Cause damage to property; or

(3) Engage in other conduct constituting a crime; or

(4) Accuse some person of a crime or cause criminal charges to be instituted against a person; or

(5) Expose a secret or publicize an asserted fact, whether true or false, tending to subject some person to hatred, contempt or ridicule; or

(6) Testify or provide information or withhold testimony or information with respect to another’s legal claim or defense; or

(7) Use or abuse the defendant’s position as a public servant by performing some act within or related to the defendant’s official duties, or by failing or refusing to perform an official duty in such manner as to affect some person adversely; or

(8) Perform any other act which is calculated to harm another person materially with respect to that person’s health, safety, business, calling, career, financial condition, reputation or personal relationships.

Coercion is a class A misdemeanor.

11 Del. C. 1953, § 791; 58 Del. Laws, c. 497, § 1; 67 Del. Laws, c. 130, § 8; 70 Del. Laws, c. 186, § 1;

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 4 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 1973–2026 · leading case: United States ex rel. Lukas v. Delaware, 371 F. Supp. 1317 (D. Del. 1974).

Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment

United States ex rel. Lukas v. Delaware, 371 F. Supp. 1317 (D. Del. 1974). · cites it 2× “Lukas was convicted of a felony by a Superior Court jury for receiving stolen goods 1 valued in excess of $100, knowing the same had been stolen, in violation of 11 Del.C. § 791. At sentencing he was placed on probation for a period of two years.”

Jones v. State (Del. 2020). “The aggravated menacing conviction stems from Jones holding a gun to Wyatt’s head as they drove around while the coercion conviction is based on Jones ordering Wyatt to kick in the door 72 11 Del. C. § 791. 73 Count seven of the indictment.”

Ellington v. Oak View Grp., LLC (Del. Super. Ct. 2026). “Similarly, 11 Del. C. § 791 defines coercion under the Delaware criminal code.”

Lukas v. State, 303 A.2d 664 (Del. 1973). · cites it 2× “CAREY, Justice: The appellant, Stanley Lukas, was convicted of receiving stolen property in violation of 11 Del.C. § 791. He seeks review of the Superior Court’s denial of post-con *665 viction relief under Superior Court Criminal Rule of Procedure 35(a), Del.”

Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.