Bilateral Rule

The Bilateral Rule applies in cases where the crime inherently requires two or more people in order to be charged. For example, in a conspiracy case, the Bilateral Rule refers to the requirement that there be either two or more guilty people involved to create a conspiracy. The Bilateral Rule can be compared to Wharton's Rule, where there must be three or more people involved in the crime (e.g., where the crime is bigamy). See also, Wharton's Rule.