If you’ve been charged with elder abuse then you may have overwhelming feelings. When everyone around you assumes that you’re guilty before you’ve been proven to be guilty, it can sometimes feel as though the best way to handle the situation is to plead guilty. At Chambers Law Firm, we want you to know that working with an elder abuse attorney in Los Angeles CA really can help. Read on to learn more and then contact us at 714-760-4088 for your free case evaluation.
What exactly is elder abuse?
According to California Penal Code, elder abuse refers to physical abuse, neglect, financial exploitation, endangerment, or emotional abuse of a person that’s older than 65 years old. In most cases, it’s committed by people who are in charge of taking care of the senior and in situations in which those seniors can’t stand up for themselves.
Not all elder abuse cases are valid
As you’ll see in domestic abuse cases, there is room for false accusations. When you work with an elder abuse attorney in Los Angeles CA, we can carefully assess your case to find out what’s really going on. We know that in situations where the victim has psychological issues or a unique relationship with the accused are not always the way they first appear to be.
Potential penalties for a conviction of elder abuse
Depending on the specifics of the case, elder abuse can either be charged as a felony or charged as a misdemeanor. Factors that are taken into consideration include the severity of the alleged abuse, the criminal record of the defendant, and the prosecutor’s feelings on the case.
In most cases, a felony charge will come down if the abuse could have caused serious injury or even death. Misdemeanor elder abuse is more likely in a situation in which the elder person’s health was in danger. If convicted of a misdemeanor, you could be facing up to a year in jail but a felony conviction can come with up to seven years in prison and fines of thousands of dollars. This is why it’s so important to work with an elder abuse attorney in Los Angeles.
Your elder abuse attorney in Los Angeles CA can you find the best defense
One of the essential parts of the prosecution’s is proving that the abuse was deliberate, which is why we may offer evidence that it was actually accidental. If you’re being accused of being neglectful, then we may work to show that you were actually simply carless and not criminally negligent. In other cases, we may bring in experts to argue that the injuries are more likely caused by the person’s age or that the elder is too senile to offer reliable testimony.
If there is a wealth of evidence against you then we may work to have the charges reduced. For example, we may be able to have a felony charge reduced to a misdemeanor. It all depends on the details of your case. Call Chambers Law Firm today at 714-760-4088 for your free case evaluation.
