Mistake of fact can relieve liability when it negates what?

• A. The culpable mental state required for the offense
• B. The physical act
• C. The statute of limitations
• D. The jurisdiction

Answer: (A)

Mistake of fact is a defense only when it defeats the culpable mental state required for the offense. In criminal law, liability often hinges on both a prohibited act and a specific mental state (like intent or knowledge). If you reasonably mistake a fact and that belief negates the mental state the statute requires, you lacked the necessary mens rea and cannot be guilty of that crime. This defense does not erase the act itself, nor does it touch the statute of limitations or jurisdiction. It also doesn’t apply to strict-liability offenses that require no mental state, and it’s distinct from mistake of law.