Withdrawal as a Defense to Conspiracy Based on the Statute of Limitations is a legal defense that can be used by a defendant claiming that they withdrew from a conspiracy before the statute of limitations expired and therefore are not liable. This defense can be used when the defendant has evidence that they were not part of the conspiracy for the full statutory period and that their involvement ended before the statute of limitations ran out. There are two types of Withdrawal as a Defense to Conspiracy Based on the Statute of Limitations: affirmative withdrawal and passive withdrawal. Affirmative withdrawal is when a defendant actively tries to withdraw from a conspiracy by communicating their intent to withdraw to other members of the conspiracy, refusing to participate in further activities, and/or taking steps to negate the effects of their involvement. Passive withdrawal is when a defendant does not take any action to distance themselves from the conspiracy, but rather they simply stop participating in the activity without actively communicating their intent to withdraw.