Under Texas law, it is not illegal to threaten to sue or bring legal action against another party. However, there are situations in which an individual can be held liable for threats of legal action if certain criteria are met during the exchange.
It is crucial that you understand what types of threats of legal action are permissible in Texas as well as those that can land you in trouble with law enforcement. If you are uncertain about what you can or cannot say to another party regarding potential legal action, contact The Greening Law Group to schedule a free consultation as soon as possible. We will be happy to sit down and answer any questions that you may have as well as explain your legal rights and options.
Can Threatening Legal Action Cause You to be Charged With Harassment?
There are many circumstances that individuals encounter in their lives that make them feel that they need to take legal action against another person. Business deals that have gone bad, loss of investments, fraud, and other common actions can greatly upset a person to the point that they begin to harass the other person involved in the scenario.
It should be understood that continued threats of legal action can eventually lead to you being charged with criminal harassment. If the threats are continually repeated in person, over the phone, via social media, email, or text message, the other party may have legal grounds to bring criminal charges against you.
Can an Individual Be Charged With Extortion for Threatening Legal Action?
Extortion occurs when an individual continually harasses another person by using threats that they will expose some type of private or sensitive information about the other person that they do not want to be known to others to gain something for themselves.
This can become a criminal offense when in addition to the extortion, an individual also threatens the victim with criminal action to deprive them of something that they want. Extortion can be difficult to prove but can still cause you to face criminal charges and if you are convicted can stay on your permanent record forever.
If I Do Need to Take Legal Action, How Should I Approach the Other Person?
If you legitimately need to take legal action against another person, the best and safest way to handle it is by hiring an attorney. Your attorney can be your advocate and all legal issues can go through your attorney and the other individual’s attorney if they have one.
This approach can prevent the other party from claiming that you are attempting to harass, annoy, or embarrass them. All exchanges can be on the record and therefore you will not run the risk of another person claiming that you are harassing or trying to intimidate them.
How Can an Attorney Help Me?
As mentioned previously, hiring an attorney to handle the legal issues that you are experiencing with another person is the best approach to protect your name and reputation. One important thing to remember is that you are not leaving yourself open to criminal harassment charges. Hiring a lawyer can help you settle your legal issues in a much faster manner than if you did not have one.
Contact The Greening Law Group by calling 979-779-2000 and ask to schedule a free consultation to discuss your legal issues.
