The Importance of Understanding the Legal Age of Consent in Minnesota

As a business owner, making legal mistakes isn’t something you want to do, but you may not even know when you’re breaking the law. When it comes to hiring young people or providing a service to them, it may feel awkward to turn them away, but if you’re doing so to comply with the legal age of consent in Minnesota, you may not have a choice.

In the state of Minnesota, the age of consent is 16. Anyone aged 16 or older can engage in sexual activity with someone at any age. However, under the law, anyone taking advantage of a person under 18 is committing a crime, including an employer who hires an underage employee or a business that sells alcohol or tobacco to a minor.

The legal age of consent is important for companies to understand to avoid litigation costs and loss of business. A business that violates this law will face lawsuits from parents that could easily be avoided. In addition to lawsuits, businesses can lose licenses and lose the right to operate. For example, a bar or restaurant that violates the legal age of consent in Minnesota by serving alcohol to minors could lose their liquor licenses or even their right to operate altogether.

It’s important to be aware of as many laws as possible in your state so you can avoid these issues. Financial services like GoKapital Loans empower businesses to make decisions that help them avoid financial pitfalls like these. Beyond the legal age of consent in Minnesota, GoKapital Loans also provides information on many other topics, including sex crimes and even bankruptcy. By empowering business owners and decision-makers with more information, the team at GoKapital Loans hopes to become part of their success.

It’s easy to want to give young people a chance to succeed, but in some cases, it’s better not to. As a business owner, it’s important that your employees are at least 16 years of age so they’ll be covered under the law.

If your company is a restaurant or bar, you don’t want to serve alcohol or tobacco to customers that aren’t old enough. The legal age of consent in Minnesota isn’t the only factor to consider when making those decisions. Your region and your establishment type are just as important, and GoKapital Loans helps business owners make those decisions.

It’s easy for businesses to take a risk and hire a minor. This can go for any type of business, even if the legal age of consent in Minnesota allows you to hire someone under 18. The real problem tends to stem from businesses wanting to hire young people as unskilled labor.

To avoid these problems, make sure you have the right policies in place. Even if you’re a small business, consider training your employees on the age of consent in your state and standard hiring practices. You can also train them on workplace safety and even job duties if your industry calls for it.

Is your company at risk of a lawsuit from a minor? Phrased differently, is your business violating the legal age of consent in Minnesota? With GoKapital Loans, we help you get the money you need to hire a lawyer and protect your business from lawsuits.