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The opinion finds improper the inclusion of language warning that the cited law carries criminal sanctions if payment is not forwarded. The ethical issue is that such threats seek to initiate charges solely to influence civil outcomes, contrary to professional standards reflected in DR:7-104. Committee Opinion dated April 3, 1986.",{"@graph":63,"@context":119},[64,80,102],{"@type":65,"itemListElement":66},"BreadcrumbList",[67,71,74,77],{"item":68,"name":69,"@type":70,"position":9},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":72,"name":10,"@type":70,"position":73},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/",2,{"item":75,"name":41,"@type":70,"position":76},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/letters/",3,{"item":78,"name":59,"@type":70,"position":79},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/legal-ethics-opinion-776-improper-threatening-criminal-prosecution-in-a-civil-matter/280709/",4,{"url":78,"name":59,"@type":81,"image":82,"author":87,"headline":59,"publisher":90,"fileFormat":93,"inLanguage":57,"description":61,"dateModified":94,"datePublished":95,"encodingFormat":93,"isAccessibleForFree":96,"interactionStatistic":97},"DigitalDocument",{"url":83,"@type":84,"width":85,"height":86},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/legal-ethics-opinion-776-improper-threatening-criminal-prosecution-in-a-civil-matter/280709.png","ImageObject",442,249,{"name":88,"@type":89},"Dozel","Person",{"url":68,"name":91,"@type":92},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-27","2026-09-16",true,{"@type":98,"interactionType":99,"userInteractionCount":101},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":100},"ViewAction",7,{"@type":103,"mainEntity":104},"FAQPage",[105,111,115],{"name":106,"@type":107,"acceptedAnswer":108},"What ethical problem does Opinion 776 identify?","Question",{"text":109,"@type":110},"The opinion identifies improper use of criminal prosecution threats to gain advantage in a civil matter, such as collecting payment.","Answer",{"name":112,"@type":107,"acceptedAnswer":113},"What specific language did the committee consider improper?",{"text":114,"@type":110},"The sentence stating that the cited law carries criminal sanctions if payment is not forwarded was deemed improper because it threatens charges for civil leverage.",{"name":116,"@type":107,"acceptedAnswer":117},"When was Committee Opinion 776 issued?",{"text":118,"@type":110},"Committee Opinion 776 was issued on April 3, 1986.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":78,"og:type":121,"og:title":59,"og:site_name":91,"og:description":61},"article",{"robots":123,"canonical":78},"index,follow",{"doc_id":125,"site_id":56},280709,1790205874,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":128},{"doc_id":125,"user_id":129,"nickname":88,"user_avatar":130,"doc_module":9,"category_id":40,"category_name":41,"doc_title":59,"doc_description":61,"doc_content":131,"file_id":132,"file_url":133,"file_type":134,"file_size":135,"view_count":101,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":9,"is_downloadable":9,"audit_status":9,"page_count":9,"language":136,"language_code":57,"site_id":56,"html_lang":57,"table_of_contents":137,"faqs":138,"seo_title":139,"seo_description":61,"update_tm":140,"read_time":4},962085662650,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_29158cc5080c5b710cf443261637dec0","LEGAL ETHICS OPINION 776 THREATENING CRIMINAL  \nPROSECUTION IN CIVIL MATTER.  \nIn a letter requesting payment on a bad check, attorney states his intent to prosecute under § 18.2-181 of the Code of Virginia should payment not be forwarded, and includes the sentence \"this law carries criminal sanctions. \" Such language is improper because it threatens to initiate criminal charges solely for the purpose of obtaining an advantage in a civil matter. [ DR:7-104]  \nCommittee Opinion April 3, 1986","cbCaieF8opi3diyR","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaieF8opi3diyR","pdf",18464,"English","# Committee Opinion\n## April 3, 1986\n## DR:7-104 - Improper Threats in Civil Collection","[{\"question\":\"What ethical problem does Opinion 776 identify?\",\"answer\":\"The opinion identifies improper use of criminal prosecution threats to gain advantage in a civil matter, such as collecting payment.\"},{\"question\":\"What specific language did the committee consider improper?\",\"answer\":\"The sentence stating that the cited law carries criminal sanctions if payment is not forwarded was deemed improper because it threatens charges for civil leverage.\"},{\"question\":\"When was Committee Opinion 776 issued?\",\"answer\":\"Committee Opinion 776 was issued on April 3, 1986.\"}]","LEGAL ETHICS OPINION 776 - Improper Threatening Criminal Prosecution in a Civil Matter | PDF",1789554850]