Compromise Offers and Negotiations—Criminal Exception.

• A. In a criminal case where negotiations relate to a claim by a public office in the exercise of its regulatory, investigative, or enforcement authority
• B. In civil cases only
• C. For impeachment only
• D. Never admissible

Answer: (A)

The main idea is a narrow exception to the general rule that compromise negotiations are not admissible. There is a criminal-justice exception: in a criminal case, negotiations that relate to a claim made by a public office acting within its regulatory, investigative, or enforcement authority may be admitted. This fits the scenario where a government agency is pursuing a claim and involved in negotiations; such offers can be brought into evidence because they concern the government’s regulatory or enforcement action.

This is why the option describing a criminal case with negotiations tied to a public office’s regulatory/investigative/enforcement claim is the correct one. It’s not limited to civil cases, it’s not only about impeachment, and it’s not “never admissible.” The exception recognizes a specific, limited context where admitting the negotiation offers serves the interests of the criminal process.