Also known as: turpitudes · moral turpitude
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
Conduct involving moral delinquency or base behavior. Such conduct is regarded by public opinion as involving moral turpitude when it reflects serious wrongdoing such as crimes involving dishonesty or harm to others.
Tristan Thompson, an insurance broker, faced statements from Tyler Taylor accusing him of faking accident claims and facing felony charges. The statements were published to other agents during a sales call. Because the accusation imputed criminal conduct involving moral turpitude, Thompson could recover without proving specific economic loss.
Theresa Tucker and Tanya Tang were co-defendants in a negligence suit arising from a joint venture. Tucker sought indemnity from Tang after paying the full judgment. Because the underlying conduct involved moral turpitude, the court refused to apportion liability between them.
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Tabitha Taylor faced proceedings under a state habitual-criminal sterilization law after multiple felony convictions. The statute defined habitual criminals by reference to felonies involving moral turpitude. The court examined whether the prior offenses met that standard before ordering sterilization.
Taliah Tang, a noncitizen defendant, pleaded guilty to a theft offense on counsel's advice. The offense carried potential deportation consequences because it involved moral turpitude. Counsel's failure to warn about those consequences rendered the plea invalid.
Triumph Manufacturing employees sought entry after prior convictions. The government barred them under a proclamation targeting individuals convicted of crimes involving moral turpitude. The court upheld the exclusion as within executive authority over immigration.
Twin Rivers Bank security officers stopped a patron suspected of prior thefts. The officers relied on the patron's record of offenses involving moral turpitude. The court assessed whether that history supplied reasonable suspicion for the detention.
An accusation qualifies when it imputes a serious offense punishable by imprisonment or regarded by public opinion as involving moral turpitude. The statement must be understood by listeners as asserting actual criminal conduct rather than mere speculation or exaggeration. Once that threshold is met, the plaintiff need not prove special damages.
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Yes. A felony conviction for tax evasion that demonstrates willful deceit and concealment for personal gain reflects adversely on the lawyer's honesty and fitness to practice. The conviction itself establishes the requisite moral turpitude even when the conduct concerned only personal tax obligations.
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When the prior conviction involves moral turpitude, its details carry a heightened risk of unfair prejudice. If the defendant stipulates to felon status, the probative value of the full record drops sharply and the danger of propensity reasoning usually requires exclusion under Rule 403.
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…many crimes enumerated in the statute is inadmissible and therefore ineligible to receive a visa. See §1182(a)(2)(A) (crime of moral turpitude or drug offense); §1182(a)(2)(C) (drug trafficking or benefiting from a relative who recently trafficked drugs); §1182(a)(2)(D) (prostitution or “unlawful commercialized vice”);…