Every crime in California is defined by a specific code section. Our attorneys explain the law, penalties and best defense strategies for every major crime in California.
Crimes by Code
Every crime in California is defined by a specific code section. Our attorneys explain the law, penalties and best defense strategies for every major crime in California.
California DUI
DUI arrests don't always lead to convictions in court. Police officer mistakes, faulty breathalyzers and crime lab errors may get your charges reduced or dismissed. Visit our California DUI page to learn more.
Post Conviction
A criminal record can affect job, immigration, licensing and even housing opportunities. In this section, we offer solutions for clearing up your prior record.
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There are five proven things you can do to help defend yourself against false accusations. These are:
There are also three important things that you should not do if facing false allegations of a crime. These are to not:
The above guidelines apply regardless of the state or jurisdiction in which a person is falsely accused in. They also apply no matter if you are being falsely accused of committing a misdemeanor or a felony offense.
Some common criminal charges that prosecutors often file based upon false statements or false claims include:
Criminal defense lawyers often advise people to use one of the following defense strategies to challenge false reports of a crime. These are to:
Yes. It is generally not a good idea to do any of the following:
People can make false allegations of a crime for a variety of reasons. For example, an accuser may falsely blame someone out of:
People may also make false accusations in a domestic violence case to try and gain leverage in a child custody battle.
In some cases, yes. Depending on the facts of your case, and the laws of your state, you may be able to file a civil lawsuit against an accuser if the person’s allegations were false.
These suits are usually based on malicious prosecution laws or a state’s defamation laws.
If a victim of false accusations is successful in bringing a civil action, they might be able to recover both economic and non-economic damages.
Economic damages could include compensation for:
Non-economic damages could include compensation for:
The specific type(s) of damages a plaintiff may be awarded will most likely depend on the facts and circumstances of a given case.
A former Los Angeles prosecutor, attorney Neil Shouse graduated with honors from UC Berkeley and Harvard Law School (and completed additional graduate studies at MIT). He has been featured on CNN, Good Morning America, Dr Phil, The Today Show and Court TV. Mr Shouse has been recognized by the National Trial Lawyers as one of the Top 100 Criminal and Top 100 Civil Attorneys.