Legal Question in Criminal Law in Minnesota

Re: restitution

When co-defendants are ordered to pay restitution in Minnesota, they share that obligation on a "joint and several" basis. You can look that term up in a legal dictionary, online or in print. Basically if two or more people are responsible for paying an obligation on a "joint and several" basis, it means the victim can collect the entire amount from either or both of them. For example, one co-defendant might end up paying it all, then have to sue the other co-defendant in civil court to get reimbursed a fair share.

The topic of when a person can plead the Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination is a bit too large to address here. Suffice it to say, that is a person could reasonably expect to be accused of a crime and their testimony could help provide evidence against them, then they can claim the privilege and refuse to testify. It is best to have a lawyer help assert the witness's privilege. He should discuss this with his lawyer.