duty to retreat

[doo-tee tuh ri-treet, dyoo-tee]

noun

Law.

1. a legal principle that requires a person as a first response to back away or flee from a threatening situation rather than attempt self-defense by deadly force.

   Duty to retreat has always been a debatable doctrine.

Word History and Origins

Origin of duty to retreat¹

First recorded in 1780–90

Example Sentences

She’s battled against Florida’s so-called stand your ground law, which removes the duty to retreat before using deadly force in the face of danger and was used as a self-defense argument at Zimmerman’s trial, resulting in his acquittal.

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Nebraska is among a handful of states where the law says a person has a duty to retreat from threat if they can do so safely before using deadly force, with the exception of a person’s home or workplace.

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The judge who found DeValkenaere guilty in a bench trial said police were the initial aggressors and had a duty to retreat, but DeValkenaere illegally used deadly force instead.

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He said police were the initial aggressors and they had a duty to retreat, but DeValkenaere illegally used deadly force instead.

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A Post analysis, meanwhile, found that states with stand-your-ground laws had a 55 percent higher homicide-by-firearm rate in the past two years than the states that didn’t have these laws, which remove the duty to retreat from an attacker before responding with potentially deadly force.

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