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| The ethics rules do not ban per se agreements between a prosecutor and a criminal defendant to dismiss criminal charges in return for the defendant releasing the prosecutor from possible civil liability. However, prosecutors "should not require release dismissal agreements as a matter of course in dismissing criminal charges," and such agreements "will be subject to intense legal and ethical scrutiny." Among other things, a prosecutor may not seek such a release if the possible civil claim is unrelated to the criminal charge, and must dismiss any criminal charges not supported by probable cause. |