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California Penal Code Section 240 defines assault as an attempt to commit a violent injury on someone else. Assault is usually in connection with the battery, though they are two different offenses. Penal Code Section 242 differs battery from an assault as it requires that the defendant actually use force or violence against someone else. For expanded interpretation, here are the legal definitions of the differences between California Penal Code 240, 242, 243 and 273.5.
The prosecutor must establish the following elements to convict the defendant of assault under Penal Code 240:
The defendant can face up to six months in county jail and a fine up to a maximum fine of $1,000.
The prosecutor must establish the following elements to convict the defendant of battery under Penal Code 242 battery:
Assault is generally an attempt to commit battery. Assault may have taken place without the occurrence of a battery since physical contact is not an element of an assault charge. The crime of battery necessarily requires an assault. The defendant can’t unlawfully and willfully touch another person (battery) without firstly making an unlawful attempt (assault) to do so.
California Penal Code Section 242 defines the crime of battery as any willful and unlawful use of force or violence upon another person. In California, law battery is a misdemeanor crime and the defendant can face up to six months in county jail and a fine of up to $2,000.
Per Penal Code Section 243(e)(1), is a crime often referred to as “spousal battery” and it occurs when a defendant uses violence or force against:
A spousal battery conviction is a misdemeanor with up to one year in county jail and a fine of up to $2,000. A defendant may also be required to enter a batterer’s program and pay up to $5,000 to a battered women’s shelter.
The crime of inflicting corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant under Penal Code 273.5(a) is similar to spousal battery under Penal Code 243. The crimes involve the same people with whom the defendant has a relationship as under Penal Code Section 243(e)(1). The difference between these two crimes is that for being convicted defendant must have inflicted some type of injury upon the victim.
The prosecutor must establish the following elements to convict the defendant under PC Section 273.5:
In California Penal Code section 273.5 is a wobbler offense, with either a misdemeanor or felony conviction. If convicted of a misdemeanor, the defendant will face up to one year in county jail and a fine of up to $6,000. If convicted of a felony the defendant will face two, three, or four years in state prison and a fine of up to $6,000.
If you or someone you know has been charged with California Penal Code secontions 240, 242, 243, or 273.5 we invite you to contact our criminal defense attorney today at (310) 943-1171 for a free consultation and case reivew.
According to 18 USC § 152 and 18 USC § 157 Bankruptcy Fraud is committed when a person makes a misleading claim or false statement in a bankruptcy proceeding or intentionally files a fraudulent bankruptcy petition as part of a larger scheme to defraud. Bankruptcy Fraud can be prosecuted through numerous criminal statutes such as wire fraud, mail fraud, credit card fraud, conspiracy, or tax fraud. The most prevalent charge is Bankruptcy Fraud under USC Section 152 which covers all possible methods that a debtor or other person can employ to defraud any bankruptcy filing or proceeding.
The defendant can’t accidentally commit bankruptcy fraud. Criminal fraud always involves knowingly misleading the court, hiding assets, or taking other fraudulent actions.
Examples of bankruptcy fraud include the following
According to California Penal Code Section 626.9, also known as the California Gun-Free Zone Act, it is illegal to knowingly possess loaded or unloaded a firearm or to discharge a firearm in a school zone.
Prosecutor must establish the following elements to convict the defendant of violating the Gun-Free School Zone Act
Firearm For purposes of PC Section 629.9, a firearm is a device designed to be used as a weapon, from which is expelled through a barrel, a projectile by the force of an explosion or other form of combustion. School Zone School Zone is an area, “in, or on the grounds of, a public or private school providing instruction to kindergarten or grades 1 to 12”, or within 1,000 feet of those grounds.
Sexual assault by Uber drivers is not uncommon, and the sexual assault itself is prevalent all over. A person must give consent for being touched, and without consent, anyone who is touching or behaving inappropriately can be targeted for assault or harassment.
Sexual Assault, Touching, or Rape in an Uber Examples of sexual and physical attacks include:
Depending on the nature of the crime a number of injuries in addition to sexual assault can be caused to the victim. Here is an incomplete list of injures:
California Penal Code Sections 243(b) and 243(c) makes it is illegal to commit a battery on a peace officer. Person can be found guilty of PC 243(b) or (c) if he knowingly used unlawful force against a peace officer while he was performing his duties.
Prosecutor must establish the following elements to prove that the defendant is guilty of battery on a police officer.
Penal Code gives a broad definition to a “peace officer”, which includes the following:
Under California Penal Code Section 666 petty theft with a prior is described as follows: “Every person who has been convicted of three or more times of petty theft, grand theft, auto theft, burglary, carjacking, robbery, or a felony violation resulting in serving time in jail is convicted of petty theft”. Thus for be sentenced to penalties for petty theft with a prior under PC Section 666, defendant must first had conviction of California petty theft penal code 484 and 488.
Prosecution must establish the following elements for convicting the defendant of the petty theft with a prior under Penal Code 666:
Qualifying theft crimes include: grand theft (including grand theft with a firearm) auto theft, carjacking, burglary and robbery. To get conviction of petty theft with a prior the defendant must also have a conviction for any of the below mentioned offenses, additionally to a theft crime conviction.
In California all drivers of TNCs (transportation network companies), such as Uber, are required to have a rideshare insurance at all times when the app is on. When the app is switched on, the Uber driver’s time is divided into three periods. Uber then decides when its insurance is applicable based on the period the accident happened. Uber's insurance coverages work different ways depending on which "period" the coverage falls under as it may impact your Uber accident claim. The rideshare app is off: The driver's personal insurance is active, which must meet California's minimum auto insurance requirements.
California law has the following minimum auto insurance requirements while rideshare app is on but the driver hasn’t been paired with a passenger.
According to California Penal Code Section 245(a)(1), assault with a deadly weapon is an unlawful attempt to cause bodily harm to another person using a weapon or using force likely to cause great bodily harm.
Prosecutor must establish the following elements to prove an allegation of assault with a deadly weapon.
Unlike battery, physical contact is not required to take place for someone to get arrested and convicted for assault.
The Unruh Civil Rights Act, California Civil Code Sections 51 and 52, provides protection from discrimination by all business establishments in California, including housing and public accommodations. The Unruh Act was designed to protect people rights from arbitrary discrimination and to guarantee their rights to equal and full access to all public accommodations.
California Civil Code Section 51(b) defines the regulations under the Unruh Civil Rights Act: “All persons within the jurisdiction of this state are free and equal, and no matter what their sex, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, or sexual orientation are entitled to the full and equal accommodations, advantages, facilities, privileges, or services in all business establishments of every kind whatsoever.”
While the Unruh Civil Rights Act specifically indicates discrimination based on “sex, race, religion, age, color, national origin, ancestry, medical condition, disability, marital status, genetic information or sexual orientation”, the California Supreme Court has held, that protections under the Act are not only necessarily limited to the mentioned characteristics. The Unruh Act includes all intentional and arbitrary discrimination by a business establishment based on personal characteristics related to the above mentioned ones.
According to California Penal Code Section 485 (PC-485) it is unlawful to take lost property while knowing the identity of the owner or having ability to pursue information about who the property belongs to.
Prosecutor must establish the following elements to prove that the defendant is guilty of unlawful appropriation of lost property under PC Section 485.
There are two ways of the lost property possession: actual possession and constructive possession. Person has an actual possession when he physically possesses the property. Constructive possession means that a person doesn’t physically posses the property but he holds control and ownership of it.
When a person loses his property it does not mean he relinquishes control or ownership over, unless he intended to abandon it. A person retains his constructive possession of the property while another one gets actual possession of that property. The actual possession can be legal or illegal. The actual possession of property is legal when a person who takes it makes reasonable efforts to find the rightful owner. The possession is considered unlawful in case the person keeps the property without undertaking any actions to return it.
Good faith belief In case the defendant honestly and in good faith believed the misleading statements or promises made as part of the scheme were true it is a valid defense in federal bankruptcy charges. Substantial Assistance Usually, the most commonly utilized method to avoid the penalties for federal bankruptcy fraud is substantial assistance. The prosecution is authorized to ask the court to suspend or reduce a sentence when the defendant provides substantial assistance in the arrest, identification, or conviction of any other person engaged in the scheme to defraud. Penalties for violating 18 U.S. Code Chapter 9 Under federal law, the punishment for Bankruptcy Fraud may vary depending on the circumstances, nature and of the offense, and the defendant’s criminal history. Under 18 U.S. Code Section 157 the crime of Bankruptcy Fraud is a felony, punishable by:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCbOdx6gdIE
There are numerous provisions in the law when a person can escape from criminal liability. The law isn’t applicable under the following circumstances:
Legal defenses to California PC Section 626.9 charges
In case the defendant possessed a firearm in, or on the grounds of a public or private school, he will face two, three, or five years sentence in California state prison. If the defendant possessed a firearm within 1,000 feet of the grounds of a public or private school he will face a sentence of two, three, or five years in California state prison when any of the bellow mentioned circumstances apply:
In case the defendant discharged, or attempted to discharge a firearm in a school zone, he will face a sentence of three, five, or seven years in California state prison. For anymore inquires on this matter, give us a call! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffi6hAbU8cw
The following are the steps the victim must undertake:
In the state of California for personal injury, claims victim has up to two years from the date of the act to file a claim. In case the victim exceeds this statute of limitations, the claim can be outright denied. Therefore, it is important to file a claim against Uber and the driver as soon as possible. The judge will consider the level of injuries inflicted upon the victim. Sexual harassment includes lewd conduct, suggestive language, unwarranted sexual advances, and requests for sexual favors. It leads to uncomfortable situations but generally does not enter the physical realm. However, when it does, it becomes sexual assault, which includes groping, assault and battery, kidnapping, inappropriate touching, threats and intimidation, sexual assault and rape, or any use of physical violence or force. A victim can also file a claim against both the driver and Uber. The Uber driver is a person who has committed the acts and can be responsibly liable for his unlawful actions, but the Company can also be complicit if it was negligent in the hiring process or service provision. There is a case of negligence if the driver had a prior conviction of sexual assault or other related crimes and Uber hired him anyway.
The victim of sexual assault in an Uber can collect the following types of damages:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd-susLxV4A
Penal Code Section 243(b) and (c) is only applicable when the peace officer whom the defendant battered was engaged in the performance of his duties. Violent or Offensive Manner Even the slightest touching, if it is done in an objectively rude or violent manner constitutes offensive touching even if it didn’t cause harm, pain, or any kind of injury. The touching doesn’t need to be direct.
Legal defenses to California Penal Code Section 243(b) and 243(c) include
In case the defendant reasonably believed that he or another person was in imminent danger of great bodily injury or harm and he reasonably used force necessary to deflect that harm, then he can assert self-defense.
For being convicted of a 243(b) or (c) defendant must have intentionally touched the peace officer. In case he didn’t act willfully he cannot be found guilty of battery on a peace officer.
In case the peace officer whom the defendant battered was not engaged in the performance of his duties, then he cannot be found guilty of this crime. Even if the victim announced that he was a peace officer and was wearing a police uniform he cannot be deemed performing his duties in case he unlawfully detained or arrested the defendant, violated defendant’s fourth amendment rights or committed police brutality. This means that officer was not engaged in a legal performance of his duties.
Penalties for violating California PC 243(b) and 243(c) Sections In California a basic battery on a peace officer is a misdemeanor with the following penalties:
California PC Section 243(c): Wobbler According to California PC Section 243(c), a battery on a peace officer that caused an injury is a wobbler and can be charged as either a misdemeanor or a felony, depending on the circumstances of the case and the defendant's criminal history. For purposes of California PC Section 243(c) the injury is considered the one that requires medical attention. Penalties for a misdemeanor conviction are the following:
Penalties for a felony conviction are the following:
Prior to proposition 47, three prior convictions for different theft crimes could lead to a felony sentence of sixteen months to three years for a conviction on a new charge. But, proposition 47 has changed the law so that most of the cases with three prior theft convictions will remain misdemeanors. Exceptions are the following:
Legal defenses to California Penal Code Section 666 charges include
Intent is one of the key elements that must be proved for convicting defendant of a theft crime. In case the defendant didn’t not intent to steal the property he is not guilty of petty theft.
In case the owner of the property gave the defendant a permission to take the property, he can’t be found guilty of petty theft.
In case the property actually belonged to the defendant or if he reasonably but mistakenly believed that the property belonged to him, he is not guilty of petty theft.
Penalties for a California Penal Code Section 666 conviction include In California law petty theft with a prior conviction is a wobbler and can be charged as either a misdemeanor or a felony, depending on the case facts and the defendant’s criminal history.
Our Glendale petty theft lawyers can help you defend your penal code 666 charges. Call our office at (310) 943-1171 or contact us via email at [email protected] to schedule a free consultation with a Glendale criminal defense attorney. Our lawyers in Glendale, Los Angeles, CA, are highly dedicated to serving to needs of our clients.
Uber’s rideshare policy isn’t applicable for accidents that take place before a driver accepts a passenger, since Uber considers drivers contractors rather than employees. Consequently, they are not responsible for what happens while the driver isn’t on duty.
Once there is a ride request from a passenger and the driver accepts it, this puts the driver in “on duty” status and Uber’s insurance coverage starts. But in case the driver gets in an accident before he picked up the passenger, it follows that the passenger would have to cancel the ride. This adds a layer of difficulty when claiming the insurance coverage.
The third period is the easiest one to claim insurance coverage from Uber. The passenger is in the Uber car, the driver is “on duty” and the Company must cover whatever happens during this period. Consequently once the driver has been paired with a passenger and after the passenger has entered the Uber car, the company is required to carry a $1 million liability insurance policy. Uber provides its drivers with $1 million of uninsured and underinsured motorist bodily injury coverage. It also provides comprehensive and collision coverage with a $1,000 deductible as long as the driver has collision coverage on his personal auto insurance policy. California law requires the driver to be covered by an auto insurance policy at all times. But since the TNC can help meet that requirement, not all rideshare drivers in California need to purchase rideshare insurance for driving legally. But, the driver may want to purchase an individual rideshare policy which will let to maintain some coverage, such as comprehensive, collision and medical payments, during the First period. Otherwise, the driver would have to pay the costs himself if he is injured or the vehicle is damaged in that period.
It is in your best interest to consult with a Los Angeles Uber accident lawyer about your claim before speaking with Uber or an insurance adjuster. This way you will have more leverage in settlement negotiations with Uber and Uber's insurance adjusters to get the compensation you deserve rather than getting lowball settlement offers. If you or a loved one have been injured in an Uber or Lyft accident we invite you to get in touch with our office. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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Deadly weapon is defined as any object or instrument that is inherently deadly or which can be used in such a way as to cause death or great bodily harm.
Some common defenses to an assault with a deadly weapon charge?
In California assault with a deadly weapon is considered a “wobbler”, and can be charged as either a felony or misdemeanor offense depending on the case facts and defendant’s criminal record. The prosecution will take into account different factors such as the type of weapon, the extent of the victim’s injuries and the manner in which the assault was conducted.
Penalties for misdemeanor assault with deadly weapon conviction are the following:
Penalties for felony assault with deadly weapon conviction are the following:
There are some factors that can increase the penalties beyond this range, such as:
The defendant can be sentenced to up to 9 years in prison if he is convicted of assault using a semiautomatic firearm such as a rifle or handgun.
The defendant can be sentenced to up to 12 years in prison if he is convicted of an assault using an automatic weapon such as a .50 BMG rifle, machine-gun or an assault weapon.
The defendant can be sentenced to up 12 years in prison if the victim was a police officer or firefighter on duty at the time the assault took place.
A felony conviction under PC Section 245 can also result in a “strike” for the purposes of California’s “Three-Strike” law. Three strikes on defendant’s criminal record mean that he can be sentenced to life in prison without parole. Are you in need of a criminal defense attorney in California? Get in touch with KAASS Law if you would like us to take a look into your criminal matter.
The list includes some examples of business establishments that are covered by the Act. The list is non-exhaustive, and can include any place of public accommodation:
If you believe that a business establishment has violated the Unruh Act, you can file a complaint with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH). DFEH is not an advocate for the complaining person or for the business establishment. Department of Fair Employment and Housing represents the State of California. If possible, DFEH will try to assist both parties in resolving the complaint. In case a voluntary settlement cannot be reached, and there is enough evidence of violation, DFEH can issue a civil complaint. Generally the complaint must be filed within one year of the violation. Though, in case the discrimination has connection with hate violence, a person has one year from the day he becomes aware of the committer’s identity to file the complaint, but not more three years from the date of the injury. If a individual wishes to file lawsuit directly through the courts he can do so without involving DFEH.
Possible remedies for violations of the Unruh Act can include:
Court-ordered damages can include up to three times the total amount of the actual damages, also known as “treble damages”, but not less than $4,000 for each offense.
If you believe that you have been discriminated against in housing or by a business, our employment law attorneys at KAASS LAW can evaluate your case understand your rights under the Unruh Act and other California anti-discrimination laws, and take your case to trial or secure a fair settlement. [contact-form-7 id="5673" title="KAASS LAW Contact Form"]
Legal Defenses to PC 485 charges
Knowledge means that defendant actually knew who was the rightful owner of the property, had an ability to find him through an investigation and made a reasonable attempt. A “reasonable attempt” is a question of fact which depends on the specific circumstances of the case and is determined by the jury. Thus for convicting a person in appropriation of lost property under California PC Section 485 prosecution must prove that the defendant had knowledge about the owner or had means of inquiry to find him.
Defendant is not guilty of this offence in case he used the property for a time before returning it to the legal owner. Defendant must have intent to permanently deprive the owner of its value or enjoyment of the property. But in case he returned it or undertook some efforts to find the rightful owner, he is not guilty under PC Section 485. However the defendant can be civilly liable for depriving the owner of its value or enjoyment of the property or damaging it. Penalties for Violating California Penal Code 485 Appropriation of lost property can be filed as an infraction, a misdemeanor or a felony. Charges depend on lost property value. In case the value is more than $950, the offense qualifies as a grand theft, which is a wobbler and can be prosecuted as either a felony of misdemeanor, depending on the defendant’s criminal history and the case circumstances.
Penalties for misdemeanor Penal Code 485 conviction include the following:
Penalties for felony Penal Code 485 conviction include the following:
If the total value of the lost property is $950 or less, the offense is classified as petty theft which is prosecuted as a misdemeanor with the following penalties:
If the defendant has no criminal history and the case circumstances are not that serious he can be charged with an infraction, with no jail time and the fine of up to $250 fine. Are you in need of an experienced lawyer in Los Angeles who can help your court case obtain positive results? Our attorneys at KAASS LAW can provide you with the services you require. We specialize in multiple practice areas of law. Get in touch with an attorney near you to go over the details of your specific situation.
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