# N.Y. PEN Law § 155.15: Larceny; defenses

> New York · Statutes · In force

URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_NY_APEN_P3_TJ_A155_S155.15

## Section

- **Citation:** N.Y. PEN Law § 155.15
- **Heading:** Larceny; defenses
- **Jurisdiction:** New York
- **Kind:** Statutes
- **Status:** In force
- **Text as of:** August 14, 2026
- **Source:** Compiled text
- **Location:** New York Code / Act PEN / Part 3 / Title J / Article 155 / Section 155.15

## Text

§ 155.15 Larceny; defenses.\n 1. In any prosecution for larceny committed by trespassory taking or\nembezzlement, it is an affirmative defense that the property was\nappropriated under a claim of right made in good faith.\n 2. In any prosecution for larceny by extortion committed by instilling\nin the victim a fear that he or another person would be charged with a\ncrime, it is an affirmative defense that the defendant reasonably\nbelieved the threatened charge to be true and that his sole purpose was\nto compel or induce the victim to take reasonable action to make good\nthe wrong which was the subject of such threatened charge.\n

## Nearby sections

- [N.Y. PEN Law § 155.00 Larceny; definitions of terms](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_NY_APEN_P3_TJ_A155_S155.00.md)
- [N.Y. PEN Law § 155.05 Larceny; defined](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_NY_APEN_P3_TJ_A155_S155.05.md)
- [N.Y. PEN Law § 155.10 Larceny; no defense](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_NY_APEN_P3_TJ_A155_S155.10.md)
- [N.Y. PEN Law § 155.15 Larceny; defenses](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_NY_APEN_P3_TJ_A155_S155.15.md)
- [N.Y. PEN Law § 155.20 Larceny; value of stolen property](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_NY_APEN_P3_TJ_A155_S155.20.md)
- [N.Y. PEN Law § 155.25 Petit larceny](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_NY_APEN_P3_TJ_A155_S155.25.md)
- [N.Y. PEN Law § 155.30 Grand Larceny in the fourth degree](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_NY_APEN_P3_TJ_A155_S155.30.md)
- [N.Y. PEN Law § 155.35 Grand larceny in the third degree](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_NY_APEN_P3_TJ_A155_S155.35.md)
- [N.Y. PEN Law § 155.40 Grand larceny in the second degree](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_NY_APEN_P3_TJ_A155_S155.40.md)
- [N.Y. PEN Law § 155.42 Grand larceny in the first degree](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_NY_APEN_P3_TJ_A155_S155.42.md)
- [N.Y. PEN Law § 155.43 Aggravated grand larceny of an automated teller machine](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_NY_APEN_P3_TJ_A155_S155.43.md)
- [N.Y. PEN Law § 155.45 Larceny; pleading and proof](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_NY_APEN_P3_TJ_A155_S155.45.md)

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Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_NY_APEN_P3_TJ_A155_S155.15. Check the current official text before relying on it. Not legal advice.