Are there any cases where mistake of law can be a defence?
<p>Courts generally don't allow mistake of law as a defence but are there any cases other than insanity where mistake of law is used as a or has been used as a successful defence ?</p>

<p>In the United States, mistake of law can be an exception for crimes where &quot;willfulness&quot; is an element.</p>
<p>This issue comes up quite often in tax law. If you fail to properly file or pay your taxes because your accountants at Ernst &amp; Young told you the law was something it was not, you haven't violated the law because you reasonably believed you had complied with it.</p>

criminal-law