Self-Defense Homework Problem
X’s new wristwatch stopped running and she took it to J’s jewelry store to be repaired. J gave X a claim
ticket when J accepted the watch. Deeply in debt to numerous bookies, J repaired the watch quickly
and placed it in the store window in an effort to sell it. X returned a week later and presented her ticket
to redeem the watch. J told her it was not ready yet. Shortly thereafter, J sold the watch to Y.
Later that same evening, at her weekly bowling league, X noticed her watch on Y’s wrist, as Y sat at the
scoring table on a nearby alley. X rushed up to her and angrily demanded the watch. Concerned
because of a previous argument with X, Y began to fumble through her pants pockets for the receipt to
prove that she had purchased the watch. X, thinking that Y was reaching for a weapon, struck her on
the head with a heavy metal ashtray, causing a serious injury.
Can X successfully use self-defense as an affirmative defense in a prosecution? State the elements of
self-defense and whether or not X’s actions satisfy those elements.
(From Seigle’s Criminal Law Problems)