Blog: Useful information

You commit the criminal offense of contributing to the delinquency of a minor when you: commit some act or fail to act in a certain way, and the action or inaction makes a child more prone to engage in illegal activities. Common examples include: allowing your 13-year-old son to stay out after curfew and he …

It is estimated that fewer than 5 percent of slip and fall cases go all the way to trial. Most are resolved short of trial, with many being settled out-of-court. Your case may be more likely to go to trial if there is an unwillingness to settle, if you were seriously hurt, or if you …

Electric skateboards and so-called “hoverboards” are increasingly popular amoung young people. But while a California law makes these boards legal, it also makes riding one under the influence a crime. In October 2015, then-Governor Jerry Brown signed AB 604 into law. Effective January 1, 2016, the law allows people 16 and older to ride electric …

Subject to certain age restrictions, someone from out of state can legally drive in California as long as: The driver has a current, valid license from the state in which he/she resides, and The license is valid for the type of vehicle the person is driving in California (such as a car, truck, motorcycle, etc.). …

The California DMV can suspend or restrict a license due to a driver’s cataracts or macular degeneration. But it may only do so if the condition actually affects a driver’s ability to drive safely. And even when driving ability is affected, cataracts and macular degeneration don’t always result in a lost license. Sometimes a driver …

Assembly Bill 2138 was signed into law by Gov. Brown in September 2018. According to the bill, a licensing board cannot take away, or deny, a license on the basis of a criminal conviction if the following is true: The conviction is seven years or older; and, The conviction is not substantially related to the …

5 things to look for in a slip and fall doctor are: whether he or she will provide treatment on a medical lien, whether the doctor is in your insurance network, the doctor’s experience treating injuries that will lead to a lawsuit, the doctor’s experience with workers’ comp cases, if you slipped and fell on …

With so many telemarketers ignoring the Federal Trade Commission’s National Do Not Call Registry, many people have begun taking matters into their own hands. Techniques we have seen touted on the internet include: Deliberately wasting the telemarketer’s time, Cussing, Blowing a whistle or air horn into the phone, Threatening the telemarketer, and Talking dirty to …

If you or someone you know in California is a “hoarder,” criminal charges can be added to the pile of problems created by this challenging mental illness. The Mayo Clinic defines “hoarding disorder” as: “a persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions because of a perceived need to save them. A person with hoarding disorder …

Gross negligence refers to a level of negligent conduct that is more egregious than ordinary negligence. Ordinary negligence is generally restricted to unintentional conduct that led to an injury. Gross negligence, however, is usually defined as willful conduct that showed an extreme indifference or reckless disregard for someone else’s safety or property. A defendant’s gross …

It can take several weeks to several months to get paid after settling a personal injury case. Some factors, like medical liens or other subrogation payments, can make it take longer for you to receive your settlement check. Only after all of these fees and payments are deducted can your attorney send you the proceeds …

Chewing tobacco has little if any effect on a person’s actual blood alcohol level. Amazingly enough, however, chewing tobacco can lead to falsely high BAC results on a DUI breath test—and thus to unfair charges of DUI. This is because of the phenomenon known as “mouth alcohol.” DUI breath tests are supposed to only measure the …

On January 1, 2018, the state of California legalized the use of recreational marijuana by adults age 21 and over. Medical marijuana also remains legal and may be used by people under age 21 with a doctor’s recommendation (and consent of a parent if the patient is under 18). But marijuana remains an illegal Schedule …

Can I drive in California with a drivers license from a foreign country?Watch this video on YouTube Yes. People with a current valid driver’s license from a foreign country can legally drive in California. They do not need to get a California driver’s license or international driving permit (“IDP”) as long as: They are at …

It may surprise you that a landlord can sue a tenant who brings bedbugs onto the landlord’s property in California. This applies to both residential and commercial tenants. Under California law, tenants have a legal duty to keep the premises they rent clean and sanitary. Breaching this duty is considered negligence. But even if the …

California Assembly Bill 1584 states that if law enforcement personnel wish to collect a DNA sample from a minor, they must first get the permission of both the minor and his/her parent(s). The California governor signed AB 1584 into law in September 2018; and, it imposes several other rules on the collection of a minor’s …

Assembly Bill 2952 was signed into law by Gov. Brown in September 2018. According to the bill, prosecutors can access California juvenile records that get sealed after a minor successfully completes informal probation. This is provided, though, that the prosecutor: gains the approval of the court to access such records; and, only accesses the records …

California law allows people to sue if they are bitten by bedbugs while renting property or staying in a hotel. But the right to sue is against the property owner. To date, there have been no successful claims against Airbnb itself for bedbug bites or infestations. Airbnb does not appear to have a legal duty …

Any person who gives a statement to the police may decide to retract or recant that statement. But, even if a witness statement gets retracted, people must know that: a prosecutor can still choose to file criminal charges against a defendant, and if a person recants a statement because it was false, then the party may …

Misdemeanor probation, sometimes referred to as “summary” or “informal” probation, is an alternative to jail. It allows low-risk offenders to serve most or all of their sentence under court supervision instead of behind bars. Summary probation typically lasts for one year in California. During that time, the defendant must comply with certain conditions, such as: …

You can sue the salon for a tanning bed burn if the negligence of the salon or its employees caused your injuries. This can happen if, for example, the tanning bed was not properly maintained or if an employee forgot to end your tanning session. These burn injuries can be serious. If you did not …

It is possible for a person to be arrested in California if he has a misdemeanor bench warrant from out of state. The fact that a judge issues a bench warrant against a person typically gets put into an interstate computer network. This means that the warrant will show up out of state if the …

This depends on the offense for which the juvenile strike was given. A strike cannot be expunged, or removed, if: it was given for a serious sex offense listed in Welfare and Institutions Code 707b, the offense was committed when the defendant was 14 years of age or older, and the juvenile is required to …

In California, generally speaking, an intoxicated passenger cannot be charged with DUI. However, there are certain scenarios where it could happen. These include situations where: the drunk passenger helps steer the vehicle, the drunk driver switches seats with the passenger, and/or the arresting officer is not sure who drove the car. Note that a passenger …