Reasons to involve a domestic violence attorney include but are not limited to:
- Destroying your personal property
- Threatening or intentionally scaring you
- Forcing sex and/or refusing to use protection
- Stalking or closely monitoring your every move
- Using the threat of weapons to intimidate or scare you
- Controlling what you wear, who you see, and where you go
- Intentionally jeopardizing your performance at work or school
- Forcing you to do something you don’t want to, like using drugs
- Preventing your from attending work, school, or other obligations
- Discouraging, or downright preventing, you from seeing family and friends
- Threatening to hurt, kill, or otherwise harm your friends, loved ones, or pets
- Embarrassing or shaming you in front of friends, family, or while out in public
- Controlling your money and expenditures to the point of counting every penny
What Are The Types of Domestic Violence?
There are many types of abuse that can be prosecuted as domestic violence, including physical abuse of one partner against another in Carlsbad and throughout the United States. However, physical abuse is not the only type of abuse that can be prosecuted as domestic violence:
- Physical - Hitting, slapping, pulling hair, kicking, choking, forcing other people to take drugs or drink alcohol
- Emotional - A person who abuses their emotions calls the other person names, insults them or criticizes them, acts jealous or possessive, humiliates them
- Sexual - Having the other person held down during sex, making them dress in a sexual manner, and pressuring them to engage in sex are all forms of sexual abuse and coercion
- Coercive Reproductive Methods - refusing to use condoms or birth control, lying about using birth control, and keeping the other person pregnant
- Financial - An abuser closely monitors the other person's spending, steals money from the other person, stops the other person from working
- Digital - An example of digital abuse would be sending threatening or insulting messages, monitoring the other person's activities with GPS, and frequently looking through their phone.
Please note that this is not a comprehensive list. Domestic violence takes many forms—physical, mental, psychological, and emotional—all of which can be incredibly damaging, if not deadly. Don’t wait for it to get worse before reaching out for help.
Domestic violence can be found in every gender, race, nationality, religion, age, sexual orientation, and economic status. If you were abused, there is NO shame in seeking help. We will be here to support, guide, and protect you at every step of the way. Contact GYL online or by dialing: (858) 371-5569.
If you’ve already been attacked, seek medical attention from your doctor or hospital emergency room as soon as possible. During your visit, ask the staff to photograph your injuries and keep detailed records in case you decide to take legal action.
What are the Penalties for Domestic Violence in California?
A person who harms or threatens to harm an intimate partner or member of their household violates California's domestic violence laws and may face criminal charges. Penal Code * 273.5 carries a maximum fine of $6000 and/or one year in county jail if it is prosecuted as a misdemeanor. An offense of corporal injury, which is prosecuted as a felony, carries a sentence of two, three or four years in state prison, plus five more years if the offense inflicts "great bodily injury." In California, domestic battery is a misdemeanor domestic violence offense, punishable by up to $2,000 in fines and one year in county jail.
In addition to fines and jail time, Carlsbad domestic violence convictions can lead to mandatory counseling, community service, probation, anger management, and abuse classes, as well as payments to victims and battered women’s organizations. As a result of their conviction, defendants who are not U.S. citizens may also face immigration consequences, including deportation. It is possible for an officer in Carlsbad to request an emergency protective order if he or she is called to the scene of a domestic dispute. Depending on the circumstances of the case, the order can be either a temporary restraining order or a permanent restraining order. It is criminal to violate a domestic violence restraining order, punishable by jail time, a significant fine, or both.
We’ll Help You File a Restraining Order and Take Legal Action Against Your Abuser
Our Carlsbad domestic violence lawyers at GYL promise to make you and your family’s safety our number-one priority. Domestic violence should be reported immediately, and we can help you do that if you haven’t been able to yet. We will also help guide you and your family along the path to recovery, and ensure your legal protection along the way.
In cases where you need immediate legal help, we can accommodate same-day appointments. We will also make ourselves available after hours—including nights and weekends—if that’s the safest and easiest time for you to meet with our team. We want to help you through this, and we are prepared to do everything in our power to keep you and your loved ones safe.
