There is unanimous agreement among attorneys and litigants that the family courts do not punish perjury in any meaningful way. I am not going to mince words on this one: the California Superior Courts have abdicated responsibility on this issue. Perjury is the accepted norm in family law, and as long as perjury is not [...]
The family courts in California are, for lack of a better term, in crisis. Anyone with experience in that area of law, or with personal experience with the courts, can tell you the family courts often do not provide justice. Worse yet, they often injure everyone who comes into contact with them. In my opinion, the [...]
On March 31, 2010 charges were dismissed against my client for false allegations of domestic violence. His partner, who had previously served a lengthy six-month term in jail for attacking him and violating the terms of probation, made false allegations that 1) the police bought and 2) the district attorney charged, despite the total absence [...]
Charges were dismissed today against one of my clients in Sonoma Superior Court. He faced misdemeanor charges of shoplifting when in fact, he had received a free sample from the store clerk, only to be placed in handcuffs and prosecuted.
Retailers and night club owners have the right to protect their property and patrons from criminal activity. In the case of retailers, a store owner has what is called the "shopkeepers privilege". This allows the store security to detain you for a reasonable period of time if they have reasonably believed a crime occurred. However, [...]
The following is an excerpt from a recent Press Democrat article printed on July 5, 2009. The trial for Bret Matz, 47, of Monte Rio is nearing opening arguments. He is accused of beating to death his 46-year-old partner, Robert Guess, with a lamp on Jan. 2. A preliminary hearing is set to be held [...]
With the ever-rising popularity of MMA (Mixed-martial arts) it is likely that more and more criminal cases will be prosecuted in which the victims and/or perpetrators will have had some level of training. It is important to understand that, to quote self-defense expert Animal MacYoung, "The problem with self-defense training is 1) that it doesn't [...]
In a criminal case it is well known that the burden of proof for the prosecution is "beyond a reasonable doubt". While we need not go into great detail here, suffice to say that the judge or jury need to be really certain that a person has committed a crime in order to convict them. [...]
If you have been arrested in Sonoma County for DUI, you will almost certainly be charged with the crime of driving under the influence, and your name forwarded to the California Department of Motor Vehicles. Thus, your case will go forward in two different avenues, the criminal court and the administrative arm of the DMV [...]
Clients looking for an attorney should start first at the state bar website. You can search here by clicking the link on "Attorney Search" in the upper right hand corner of the page. The information provided will give you their contact information, how long they have been practicing, and perhaps where they went to school. [...]
