DOMESTIC VIOLENCE LAWYER ORANGE COUNTY

Domestic violence charges disrupt the lives of all those involved, including the accused and the victim. Typically, domestic violence cases are initiated by the victim calling 9-1-1 and alerting the police to the domestic abuse that could include physical abuse, emotional abuse or verbal abuse. Responding police officers will take statements from the victim, accused and any witnesses, take photographs of any physical injuries, and send the final report to the prosecutor’s office for further action.

If you’ve been charged with a domestic violence crime, contact The SoCal Law Network to work with an Orange County domestic violence lawyer in Orange County. Our knowledgeable team of domestic violence lawyers will help you through the legal process and will aggressively fight to defend your rights and lower the domestic violence charges against you.

HOW CAN AN ORANGE COUNTY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE LAWYER HELP?

A domestic violence conviction can have serious consequences that will impact you for the rest of your life. Some of these consequences could include:

• Loss of your professional license (if applicable)
• Loss of the right to own or possess a firearm or ammunition
• Possible changes in your immigration status
• Loss of present or future employment opportunities
• Loss of child custody rights

In domestic violence cases where a criminal protective order or restraining orders are issued against you, you may face travel restrictions and lose the ability to work with children in the future on top of the many consequences mentioned above.

Because of the severity of the consequences, it’s imperative that you work with a skilled Laguna Hills and Orange County domestic violence lawyer that can help you fight the criminal charges. Our criminal defense attorneys will closely examine the police report and your statement to determine a domestic violence defense. Although the circumstances of each domestic violence case are unique, some of the main defenses against a domestic violence charge may include:

• I was falsely accused
• She/he lied
• It was an accident
• It was self defense
• It can’t be proven beyond a reasonable doubt, so you can’t convict me
• I was provoked by his/her actions
• You can’t press charges against me because of a faulty investigation

A domestic violence charge is a serious matter with grave consequences, and you shouldn’t have to fight your charges alone. If you’ve been charged with domestic violence, contact a skilled Orange County domestic violence lawyer as soon as possible. When you work with our law firm, The SoCal Law Network, you’ll have one of these experienced domestic violence lawyers on your side:

• Peter F. Iocona – Mr. Iocona is one of the most well-respected assault and battery attorneys in Orange County. He was selected as one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers due to his extensive experience and also chosen as one of the 2015 Southern California Rising Stars by Super Lawyers, an esteemed attorney-rating service. Mr. Iocona has worked on dozens of domestic violence cases, obtaining favorable outcomes for his clients.
• Alan Castillo – Mr. Castillo has successfully defended over 5,000 criminal clients throughout his career. During his time at the Orange County Public Defender’s Office, Mr. Castillo earned a reputation of being one of the most successful trial DUI attorneys within his unit. Throughout his career, he has won “not guilty” verdicts in nearly every domestic violence case that has gone to trial.
• Marlo Cordero – Ms. Cordero has one of the highest success rates in motions to dismiss and suppression motions in Laguna Hills and throughout Orange County. In fact, she has won numerous motions relating to the prosecutor’s ability to sustain a domestic violence charge.

WHAT ARE THE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE LAWS IN CALIFORNIA?

Under California law, domestic violence is defined as abuse between two people who are married, domestic partners, dating or have previously dated, live or lived together, have a child together or are closely related by blood or marriage. Although many people assume domestic violence refers to physical abuse, it can actually apply to:

• Physically hurting someone or trying to do so, whether it is intentional or caused by reckless behavior
• Sexual abuse
• Threatening, intimidating or promising to do harm to someone in the future that constitutes verbal or emotional abuse
• Harassing or stalking someone
• Disturbing the peace or damaging someone else’s property

In the majority of domestic violence cases, domestic violence is considered a misdemeanor, however, this can be upgraded to a felony if you have a prior record, there was serious bodily harm caused to the victim or it was a sexual assault. The domestic violence charges can also be considered a felony if the victim was a minor. When charged with a misdemeanor, you may be charged a fine of up to $2,000 and could spend up to 1 year in county jail.

If you’ve been charged with a felony, you may have to attend a lengthy domestic violence class and may spend up to 4 years in state prison. This sentence could be extended depending on your criminal record and the amount of harm done to the victim. Regardless of whether the charge was a misdemeanor or felony, you could also be prohibited from ever coming into contact with the victim again. If you are found guilty of the charges, it is possible that the victim could even file a civil lawsuit after the court case to recover compensation for their injuries.

It’s important to note that in California state law says even if a victim does not report the abuse or asks for the charges to be dropped, the domestic violence case will continue against the accused.