Law Office Of Joshua R. Bourne

Domestic Violence Defense

Mr. Bourne is a former domestic violence prosecutor.  He is knowledgeable regarding all areas of domestic violence defense, including restraining orders.

The most common domestic violence charges are:

Penal Code section 273.5. 
(a) Any person who willfully inflicts upon a person who is
his or her spouse, former spouse, cohabitant, former cohabitant, or
the mother or father of his or her child, corporal injury resulting
in a traumatic condition, is guilty of a felony, and upon conviction
thereof shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for
two, three, or four years, or in a county jail for not more than one
year, or by a fine of up to six thousand dollars ($6,000) or by both
that fine and imprisonment.
   (b) Holding oneself out to be the husband or wife of the person
with whom one is cohabiting is not necessary to constitute
cohabitation as the term is used in this section.
   (c) As used in this section, "traumatic condition" means a
condition of the body, such as a wound or external or internal
injury, whether of a minor or serious nature, caused by a physical
force.
   (d) For the purpose of this section, a person shall be considered
the father or mother of another person's child if the alleged male
parent is presumed the natural father under Sections 7611 and 7612 of
the Family Code.
   (e) (1) Any person convicted of violating this section for acts
occurring within seven years of a previous conviction under
subdivision (a), or subdivision (d) of Section 243, or Section 243.4,
244, 244.5, or 245, shall be punished by imprisonment in a county
jail for not more than one year, or by imprisonment in the state
prison for two, four, or five years, or by both imprisonment and a
fine of up to ten thousand dollars ($10,000).
   (2) Any person convicted of a violation of this section for acts
occurring within seven years of a previous conviction under
subdivision (e) of Section 243 shall be punished by imprisonment in
the state prison for two, three, or four years, or in a county jail
for not more than one year, or by a fine of up to ten thousand
dollars ($10,000), or by both that imprisonment and fine.
   (f) If probation is granted to any person convicted under
subdivision (a), the court shall impose probation consistent with the
provisions of Section 1203.097.
   (g) If probation is granted, or the execution or imposition of a
sentence is suspended, for any defendant convicted under subdivision
(a) who has been convicted of any prior offense specified in
subdivision (e), the court shall impose one of the following
conditions of probation:
   (1) If the defendant has suffered one prior conviction within the
previous seven years for a violation of any offense specified in
subdivision (e), it shall be a condition thereof, in addition to the
provisions contained in Section 1203.097, that he or she be
imprisoned in a county jail for not less than 15 days.
   (2) If the defendant has suffered two or more prior convictions
within the previous seven years for a violation of any offense
specified in subdivision (e), it shall be a condition of probation,
in addition to the provisions contained in Section 1203.097, that he
or she be imprisoned in a county jail for not less than 60 days.
   (3) The court, upon a showing of good cause, may find that the
mandatory imprisonment required by this subdivision shall not be
imposed and shall state on the record its reasons for finding good
cause.
   (h) If probation is granted upon conviction of a violation of
subdivision (a), the conditions of probation may include, consistent
with the terms of probation imposed pursuant to Section 1203.097, in
lieu of a fine, one or both of the following requirements:
   (1) That the defendant make payments to a battered women's
shelter, up to a maximum of five thousand dollars ($5,000), pursuant
to Section 1203.097.
   (2) That the defendant reimburse the victim for reasonable costs
of counseling and other reasonable expenses that the court finds are
the direct result of the defendant's offense.
   For any order to pay a fine, make payments to a battered women's
shelter, or pay restitution as a condition of probation under this
subdivision, the court shall make a determination of the defendant's
ability to pay.  In no event shall any order to make payments to a
battered women's shelter be made if it would impair the ability of
the defendant to pay direct restitution to the victim or
court-ordered child support.  Where the injury to a married person is
caused in whole or in part by the criminal acts of his or her spouse
in violation of this section, the community property may not be used
to discharge the liability of the offending spouse for restitution
to the injured spouse, required by Section 1203.04, as operative on
or before August 2, 1995, or Section 1202.4, or to a shelter for
costs with regard to the injured spouse and dependents, required by
this section, until all separate property of the offending spouse is
exhausted.

Penal Code section 273.6. 
(a) Any intentional and knowing violation of a protective
order, as defined in Section 6218 of the Family Code, or of an order
issued pursuant to Section 527.6 or 527.8 of the Code of Civil
Procedure, or Section 15657.03 of the Welfare and Institutions Code,
is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than one thousand
dollars ($1,000), or by imprisonment in a county jail for not more
than one year, or by both that fine and imprisonment.
   (b) In the event of a violation of subdivision (a) which results
in physical injury, the person shall be punished by a fine of not
more than two thousand dollars ($2,000), or by imprisonment in a
county jail for not less than 30 days nor more than one year, or by
both that fine and imprisonment.  However, if the person is
imprisoned in a county jail for at least 48 hours, the court may, in
the interest of justice and for reasons stated on the record, reduce
or eliminate the 30-day minimum imprisonment required by this
subdivision.  In determining whether to reduce or eliminate the
minimum imprisonment pursuant to this subdivision, the court shall
consider the seriousness of the facts before the court, whether there
are additional allegations of a violation of the order during the
pendency of the case before the court, the probability of future
violations, the safety of the victim, and whether the defendant has
successfully completed or is making progress with counseling.
   (c) Subdivisions (a) and (b) shall apply to the following court
orders:
   (1) Any order issued pursuant to Section 6320 or 6389 of the
Family Code.
   (2) An order excluding one party from the family dwelling or from
the dwelling of the other.
   (3) An order enjoining a party from specified behavior which the
court determined was necessary to effectuate the order described in
subdivision (a).
   (4) Any order issued by another state that is recognized under
Part 5 (commencing with Section 6400) of Division 10 of the Family
Code.
   (d) A subsequent conviction for a violation of an order described
in subdivision (a), occurring within seven years of a prior
conviction for a violation of an order described in subdivision (a)
and involving an act of violence or "a credible threat" of violence,
as defined in subdivision (c) of Section 139, is punishable by
imprisonment in a county jail not to exceed one year, or in the state
prison.
   (e) In the event of a subsequent conviction for a violation of an
order described in subdivision (a) for an act occurring within one
year of a prior conviction for a violation of an order described in
subdivision (a) that results in physical injury to a victim, the
person shall be punished by a fine of not more than two thousand
dollars ($2,000), or by imprisonment in a county jail for not less
than six months nor more than one year, by both that fine and
imprisonment, or by imprisonment in the state prison.  However, if
the person is imprisoned in a county jail for at least 30 days, the
court may, in the interest of justice and for reasons stated in the
record, reduce or eliminate the six-month minimum imprisonment
required by this subdivision.  In determining whether to reduce or
eliminate the minimum imprisonment pursuant to this subdivision, the
court shall consider the seriousness of the facts before the court,
whether there are additional allegations of a violation of the order
during the pendency of the case before the court, the probability of
future violations, the safety of the victim, and whether the
defendant has successfully completed or is making progress with
counseling.
   (f) The prosecuting agency of each county shall have the primary
responsibility for the enforcement of orders described in
subdivisions (a), (b), (d), and (e).
   (g) (1) Every person who owns, possesses, purchases, or receives a
firearm knowing he or she is prohibited from doing so by the
provisions of a protective order as defined in Section 136.2 of this
code, Section 6218 of the Family Code, or Section 527.6 or 527.8 of
the Code of Civil Procedure, or Section 15657.03 of the Welfare and
Institutions Code, shall be punished under the provisions of
subdivision (g) of Section 12021.
   (2) Every person subject to a protective order described in
paragraph (1) shall not be prosecuted under this section for owning,
possessing, purchasing, or receiving a firearm to the extent that
firearm is granted an exemption pursuant to subdivision (f) of
Section 527.9 of the Code of Civil Procedure, or subdivision (h) of
Section 6389 of the Family Code.
   (h) If probation is granted upon conviction of a violation of
subdivision (a), (b), (c), (d), or (e), the court shall impose
probation consistent with the provisions of Section 1203.097, and the
conditions of probation may include, in lieu of a fine, one or both
of the following requirements:
   (1) That the defendant make payments to a battered women's shelter
or to a shelter for abused elder persons or dependent adults, up to
a maximum of five thousand dollars ($5,000), pursuant to Section
1203.097.
   (2) That the defendant reimburse the victim for reasonable costs
of counseling and other reasonable expenses that the court finds are
the direct result of the defendant's offense.
   (i) For any order to pay a fine, make payments to a battered women'
s shelter, or pay restitution as a condition of probation under
subdivision (e), the court shall make a determination of the
defendant's ability to pay.  In no event shall any order to make
payments to a battered women's shelter be made if it would impair the
ability of the defendant to pay direct restitution to the victim or
court-ordered child support.  Where the injury to a married person is
caused in whole or in part by the criminal acts of his or her spouse
in violation of this section, the community property may not be used
to discharge the liability of the offending spouse for restitution
to the injured spouse, required by Section 1203.04, as operative on
or before August 2, 1995, or Section 1202.4, or to a shelter for
costs with regard to the injured spouse and dependents, required by
this section, until all separate property of the offending spouse is
exhausted.
Penal Code section 243. 
(a) A battery is punishable by a fine not exceeding two
thousand dollars ($2,000), or by imprisonment in a county jail not
exceeding six months, or by both that fine and imprisonment.
   (b) When a battery is committed against the person of a peace
officer, custodial officer, firefighter, emergency medical
technician, lifeguard, process server, traffic officer, code
enforcement officer, or animal control officer engaged in the
performance of his or her duties, whether on or off duty, including
when the peace officer is in a police uniform and is concurrently
performing the duties required of him or her as a peace officer while
also employed in a private capacity as a part-time or casual private
security guard or patrolman, or a nonsworn employee of a probation
department engaged in the performance of his or her duties, whether
on or off duty, or a physician or nurse engaged in rendering
emergency medical care outside a hospital, clinic, or other health
care facility, and the person committing the offense knows or
reasonably should know that the victim is a peace officer, custodial
officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, lifeguard,
process server, traffic officer, code enforcement officer, or animal
control officer engaged in the performance of his or her duties,
nonsworn employee of a probation department, or a physician or nurse
engaged in rendering emergency medical care, the battery is
punishable by a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars ($2,000), or
by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by both
that fine and imprisonment.
   (c) (1) When a battery is committed against a custodial officer,
firefighter, emergency medical technician, lifeguard, process server,
traffic officer, or animal control officer engaged in the
performance of his or her duties, whether on or off duty, or a
nonsworn employee of a probation department engaged in the
performance of his or her duties, whether on or off duty, or a
physician or nurse engaged in rendering emergency medical care
outside a hospital, clinic, or other health care facility, and the
person committing the offense knows or reasonably should know that
the victim is a nonsworn employee of a probation department,
custodial officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician,
lifeguard, process server, traffic officer, or animal control officer
engaged in the performance of his or her duties, or a physician or
nurse engaged in rendering emergency medical care, and an injury is
inflicted on that victim, the battery is punishable by a fine of not
more than two thousand dollars ($2,000), by imprisonment in a county
jail not exceeding one year, or by both that fine and imprisonment,
or by imprisonment in the state prison for 16 months, or two or three
years.
   (2) When the battery specified in paragraph (1) is committed
against a peace officer engaged in the performance of his or her
duties, whether on or off duty, including when the peace officer is
in a police uniform and is concurrently performing the duties
required of him or her as a peace officer while also employed in a
private capacity as a part-time or casual private security guard or
patrolman and the person committing the offense knows or reasonably
should know that the victim is a peace officer engaged in the
performance of his or her duties, the battery is punishable by a fine
of not more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or by imprisonment
in a county jail not exceeding one year or in the state prison for 16
months, or two or three years, or by both that fine and
imprisonment.
   (d) When a battery is committed against any person and serious
bodily injury is inflicted on the person, the battery is punishable
by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year or
imprisonment in the state prison for two, three, or four years.
   (e) (1) When a battery is committed against a spouse, a person
with whom the defendant is cohabiting, a person who is the parent of
the defendant's child, former spouse, fiance, or fiancee, or a person
with whom the defendant currently has, or has previously had, a
dating or engagement relationship, the battery is punishable by a
fine not exceeding two thousand dollars ($2,000), or by imprisonment
in a county jail for a period of not more than one year, or by both
that fine and imprisonment.  If probation is granted, or the
execution or imposition of the sentence is suspended, it shall be a
condition thereof that the defendant participate in, for no less than
one year, and successfully complete, a batterer's treatment program,
as defined in Section 1203.097, or if none is available, another
appropriate counseling program designated by the court.  However,
this provision shall not be construed as requiring a city, a county,
or a city and county to provide a new program or higher level of
service as contemplated by Section 6 of Article XIIIB of the
California Constitution.
   (2) Upon conviction of a violation of this subdivision, if
probation is granted, the conditions of probation may include, in
lieu of a fine, one or both of the following requirements:
   (A) That the defendant make payments to a battered women's
shelter, up to a maximum of five thousand dollars ($5,000).
   (B) That the defendant reimburse the victim for reasonable costs
of counseling and other reasonable expenses that the court finds are
the direct result of the defendant's offense.
   For any order to pay a fine, make payments to a battered women's
shelter, or pay restitution as a condition of probation under this
subdivision, the court shall make a determination of the defendant's
ability to pay.  In no event shall any order to make payments to a
battered women's shelter be made if it would impair the ability of
the defendant to pay direct restitution to the victim or
court-ordered child support.  Where the injury to a married person is
caused in whole or in part by the criminal acts of his or her spouse
in violation of this section, the community property may not be used
to discharge the liability of the offending spouse for restitution
to the injured spouse, required by Section 1203.04, as operative on
or before August 2, 1995, or Section 1202.4, or to a shelter for
costs with regard to the injured spouse and dependents, required by
this section, until all separate property of the offending spouse is
exhausted.
   (3) Upon conviction of a violation of this subdivision, if
probation is granted or the execution or imposition of the sentence
is suspended and the person has been previously convicted of a
violation of this subdivision and sentenced under paragraph (1), the
person shall be imprisoned for not less than 48 hours in addition to
the conditions in paragraph (1).  However, the court, upon a showing
of good cause, may elect not to impose the mandatory minimum
imprisonment as required by this subdivision and may, under these
circumstances, grant probation or order the suspension of the
execution or imposition of the sentence.
   (4) The Legislature finds and declares that these specified crimes
merit special consideration when imposing a sentence so as to
display society's condemnation for these crimes of violence upon
victims with whom a close relationship has been formed.
   (f) As used in this section:
   (1) "Peace officer" means any person defined in Chapter 4.5
(commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2.
   (2) "Emergency medical technician" means a person who is either an
EMT-I, EMT-II, or EMT-P (paramedic), and possesses a valid
certificate or license in accordance with the standards of Division
2.5 (commencing with Section 1797) of the Health and Safety Code.
   (3) "Nurse" means a person who meets the standards of Division 2.5
(commencing with Section 1797) of the Health and Safety Code.
   (4) "Serious bodily injury" means a serious impairment of physical
condition, including, but not limited to, the following:  loss of
consciousness; concussion; bone fracture; protracted loss or
impairment of function of any bodily member or organ; a wound
requiring extensive suturing; and serious disfigurement.
   (5) "Injury" means any physical injury which requires professional
medical treatment.
   (6) "Custodial officer" means any person who has the
responsibilities and duties described in Section 831 and who is
employed by a law enforcement agency of any city or county or who
performs those duties as a volunteer.
   (7) "Lifeguard" means a person defined in paragraph (5) of
subdivision (c) of Section 241.
   (8) "Traffic officer" means any person employed by a city, county,
or city and county to monitor and enforce state laws and local
ordinances relating to parking and the operation of vehicles.
   (9) "Animal control officer" means any person employed by a city,
county, or city and county for purposes of enforcing animal control
laws or regulations.
   (10) "Dating relationship" means frequent, intimate associations
primarily characterized by the expectation of affectional or sexual
involvement independent of financial considerations.
   (11) (A) "Code enforcement officer" means any person who is not
described in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of
Part 2 and who is employed by any governmental subdivision, public or
quasi-public corporation, public agency, public service corporation,
any town, city, county, or municipal corporation, whether
incorporated or chartered, who has enforcement authority for health,
safety, and welfare requirements, and whose duties include
enforcement of any statute, rules, regulations, or standards, and who
is authorized to issue citations, or file formal complaints.
   (B) "Code enforcement officer" also includes any person who is
employed by the Department of Housing and Community Development who
has enforcement authority for health, safety, and welfare
requirements pursuant to the Employee Housing Act (Part 1 (commencing
with Section 17000) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code);
the State Housing Law (Part 1.5 (commencing with Section 17910) of
Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code); the
Mobilehomes-Manufactured Housing Act (Part 2 (commencing with Section
18000) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code); the Mobilehome
Parks Act (Part 2.1 (commencing with Section 18200) of Division 13
of the Health and Safety Code); and the Special Occupancy Parks Act
(Part 2.3 (commencing with Section 18860) of Division 13 of the
Health and Safety Code).
   (g) It is the intent of the Legislature by amendments to this
section at the 1981-82 and 1983-84 Regular Sessions to abrogate the
holdings in cases such as People v. Corey, 21 Cal. 3d 738, and
Cervantez v. J.C. Penney Co., 24 Cal. 3d 579, and to reinstate prior
judicial interpretations of this section as they relate to criminal
sanctions for battery on peace officers who are employed, on a
part-time or casual basis, while wearing a police uniform as private
security guards or patrolmen and to allow the exercise of peace
officer powers concurrently with that employment.