Penal Law § 260.32 · Article 260. Offenses Relating to Children, Disabled Persons and Vulnerable Elderly Persons
Endangering the welfare of a vulnerable elderly person, or an incompetent or physically disabled person in the second degree
Text — Law content up to date as of October 23, 2026, as published by the New York State Senate (Open Legislation)
§ 260.32 Endangering the welfare of a vulnerable elderly person, or an incompetent or physically disabled person in the second degree.
A person is guilty of endangering the welfare of a vulnerable elderly person, or an incompetent or physically disabled person in the second degree when, being a caregiver for a vulnerable elderly person, or an incompetent or physically disabled person:
1. With intent to cause physical injury to such person, he or she causes such injury to such person; or
2. He or she recklessly causes physical injury to such person; or
3. With criminal negligence, he or she causes physical injury to such person by means of a deadly weapon or a dangerous instrument; or
4. He or she subjects such person to sexual contact without the latter's consent. Lack of consent under this subdivision results from forcible compulsion or incapacity to consent, as those terms are defined in article one hundred thirty of this chapter, or any other circumstances in which the vulnerable elderly person, or an incompetent or physically disabled person does not expressly or impliedly acquiesce in the caregiver's conduct. In any prosecution under this subdivision in which the victim's alleged lack of consent results solely from incapacity to consent because of the victim's mental disability or mental incapacity, the provisions of section 130.16 of this chapter shall apply. In addition, in any prosecution under this subdivision in which the victim's lack of consent is based solely upon his or her incapacity to consent because he or she was mentally disabled, mentally incapacitated or physically helpless, it is an affirmative defense that the defendant, at the time he or she engaged in the conduct constituting the offense, did not know of the facts or conditions responsible for such incapacity to consent.
Endangering the welfare of a vulnerable elderly person, or an incompetent or physically disabled person in the second degree is a class E felony.
Source of truth
- Edition
- Law content up to date as of October 23, 2026, as published by the New York State Senate (Open Legislation)
- Official file
- https://legislation.nysenate.gov/pdf/laws/PEN260.32
- Text hash
- sha256 69ae146cecb8c64dc835c3ffd84587b816046f23a9d9832419b47f044ab3f565
- Composed by
- gen_ny_statutes.py 2026-11-10: the Senate's Open Legislation law tree (GET /api/3/laws/<ID>?full=true) read in document order; the Senate's PDF of the whole law (GET /pdf/laws/<ID>?full=true), read with PDFium, prints the same words in the same order
Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.