{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-501.070","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 501.070","heading":"Liability -- Ignorance or mistake.","body":"(1) A person's ignorance or mistake as to a matter of fact or law does not relieve him of\ncriminal liability unless:\n(a) Such ignorance or mistake negatives the existence of the culpable mental state\nrequired for commission of an offense; or\n(b) The statute under which he is charged or a statute related thereto expressly\nprovides that such ignorance or mistake constitutes a defense or exemption; or\n(c) Such ignorance or mistake is of a kind that supports a defense of justification\nas defined in this Penal Code.\n(2) When ignorance or mistake relieves a person of criminal liability under subsection\n(1) but he would be guilty of another offense had the situation been as he supposed\nit was, he may be convicted of that other offense.\n(3) A person's mistaken beli ef that his conduct, as a matter of law, does not constitute\nan offense does not relieve him of criminal liability, unless such mistaken belief is\nactually founded upon an official statement of the law, afterward determined to be\ninvalid or erroneous, contained in:\n(a) A statute or other enactment; or\n(b) A judicial decision, opinion or judgment; or\n(c) An administrative order or grant of permission; or\n(d) An official interpretation of the public officer or body charged by law with\nresponsibility for t he interpretation, administration or enforcement of the law\ndefining the offense.","path":["KRS Chapter 501"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=19656","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T21:00:00Z","sha256":"08efa32182cee5967458368967ff1815d6e2d877b0a937a05d10e56c327582e9","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-501.060","next":"us-ky/krs-501.080"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}