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Consulting Harassment Lawyers – How to Seek Out Help

March 25, 2020/in Family Law /by David Patton

Harassment is a form of abuse that no person should have to endure. It can affect your mood, work performance, sleep schedule and overall well-being which may lead to more issues down the road. This is why it’s best to take the steps of dealing with harassment seriously by hiring a harassment lawyer. Lonich Patton Ehrlich Policastri can better inform you of what harassment is, how their harassment lawyers can help, and what you can do to protect yourself from harassment and domestic violence in the Bay Area.

What Qualifies as Harassment?

Unfortunately, harassment in cases of domestic violence comes in many different forms and is not uncommon. Overall, this type of harassment includes verbal (in person or multimedia communication) or physical actions that create an offensive, hostile, and/or uncomfortable environment for the victim. Sexual harassment includes unwelcome verbal comments or physical actions that are of a sexual nature.

Typically, to be treated as harassment, the action(s) must happen more than once. There are exceptions to this in cases of extreme acts of harassment, aggression, abuse, etc.

A woman seeks help from harassment lawyers after a man disrespects her boundaries.

Lonich Patton Ehrlich Policastri deals specifically with harassment in regards to domestic violence cases. If you are being harassed and abused by someone close to you, help is available.

35.6% of women and 28.5% of men in the United States have experienced abuse or harassment in some form by an intimate partner in their lifetime. That’s over 1 in 3 women and more than 1 in 4 men (National Domestic Violence Hotline).

If you’re suffering from domestic abuse and harassment, or if you feel unsafe, there are steps you can take.

Safety Precautions

Meeting with a harassment lawyer is a good idea if you are unsure of what actions to take. Until then, be sure to keep documentation of any occurrences related to the harassment and any information that could be of use later on.

If possible, reach out to someone you can trust. Attempt to find witnesses who will support you and back you up.

Keep records of every important detail regarding your situation in case you need it later. Reach out for assistance if at all necessary, to ensure you are doing the best for yourself.

You may want to consider getting a restraining order for your personal safety and the safety of your children if you have them.

What Harassment Lawyers Can Do for You

Seeking out a lawyer before reporting your harassment may be best for you if there are chances of retaliation from your harasser, or if you are unsure of how to properly report the harassment or domestic violence. There is nothing wrong with contacting a harassment lawyer just to be safe. Domestic violence is a delicate matter that requires knowledgeable and responsible guidance.

A woman consults a team of harassment lawyers about her DVRO case.

Harassment lawyers can help you decide and go through the necessary steps of reporting harassment or abuse following your area’s laws. Helping with descriptive statements and documentation can come as a great help in case nerves or fear set in while attempting to recall events later on.

A lawyer can also help you set up a restraining order with the local authorities. They can work with you to gather evidence proving your claims, and can help develop the stipulations under which you want the restraining order to function and protect you.

In addition to this, harassment lawyers will monitor the behavior regarding your harasser and their responses to the report. A lawyer can aid in ensuring your safety, as well as the accuracy of all legal statements along the way to bring you the best outcome possible.

Luckily, harassment and domestic violence is taken seriously in the Bay Area and surrounding cities, and LPEP is well equipped to dealing with these situations.

The lawyers at Lonich Patton Ehrlich Policastri are here to help those in the Bay Area get the assistance and safety they deserve. Reach out today if you need direction or legal assistance in regards to workplace harassment. We are discreet.

MENTAL HEALTH AND COMPETENCY ISSUES IN FAMILY LAW

June 18, 2018/in Family Law /by Riley Pennington

The competency of a party in a family law proceeding can significantly affect how a case will be litigated in California. While California is a no-fault divorce state, meaning that the parties may divorce due to “irreconcilable differences”, the law requires that a person must have the capacity to understand the basic legal and financial consequences of entering into a divorce. Under California Probate Code Section 4609, “capacity” means a person’s ability to understand the nature and consequences of a decision and to make and communicate a decision. In the case of proposed health care, capacity is defined as the ability to understand its significant benefits, risks, and alternatives. To ensure that parties with mental health and competency issues are represented fairly in divorce proceedings, the California legislature gave the judiciary the express authority to appoint a guardian ad litem or a conservator to represent the incompetent person’s best interests.

A guardian ad litem or conservator work alongside the protected person’s attorney and will make a wide range of legal decisions for the person ranging from spousal support, property division, custody, and visitation. California Family Code section 2332 (b), provides in pertinent part, that a guardian ad litem may be appointed “to defend and protect the interest of the spouse who lacks legal capacity to make decisions.”

If the spouse is already protected by a conservator, then the court will presume that a guardian ad litem is necessary and will appoint one without a competency hearing. A guardian ad litem differs from a conservator because a guardian ad litem only serves up until the conclusion of the court proceeding in question. The Latin term “ad litem” means “for the suit.” Thus, a guardian ad litem is a temporary guardian. In contrast, a conservator may persist beyond the final adjudication of a single case.

A conservator is appointed to make the day-to-day financial decisions for the protected party. A conservatorship is governed by California Probate Code 1801(b) which provides that a conservator shall be appointed by court upon showing that a person is “substantially unable to manage his or her own financial resources or resist fraud or undue influence.” To qualify for a conservatorship, the party must submit a brief statement of facts addressing the following five factors: (1) The inability of the proposed conservatee to properly provide for his or her needs for physical health, food, clothing, and shelter; (2) The location of the proposed conservatee’s residence and the ability of the proposed conservatee to live in the residence while under conservatorship; (3) alternatives to conservatorship considered by the petitioner or proposed conservator and reasons why those alternatives are not available; (4) health or social services provided to the proposed conservatee during the year preceding the filing of the petition, when the petitioner or proposed conservator has information as to those services; and (5) the inability of the proposed conservatee to substantially manage his or her own financial resources, or to resist fraud or undue influence. (Prob. Code § 1821.)

Competency of a party may also be an issue in proceedings to obtain an annulment. Pursuant to Family Code section 2210(c), a marriage is voidable if either party is of “unsound mind” while entering the marriage. Accordingly, a marriage can later be annulled where there is a showing that at least one of the parties was incompetent. Just as a third-party may move for a court to order a guardian ad litem or conservator, certain third parties can also bring annulments. Some children for example may choose to bring a nullity action after their parent has died, when the new marriage results in that child being cut off from the inheritance.

If you are seeking information or counsel regarding competency issues during divorce, please contact one of the experienced attorneys at Lonich Patton Ehrlich Policastri – we offer free half-hour consultations. We also offer free wills to all of our family law clients during the process of their divorce.

Lastly, please remember that each individual situation is unique, and results discussed in this post are not a guarantee of future results. While this post may detail general legal issues, it is not legal advice. Use of this site does not create an attorney-client relationship.

GIFTING REAL ESTATE TO FAMILY MEMBER CARETAKER: RED FLAGS

June 8, 2018/in Estate Planning /by Michael Lonich

Giving gifts to loved ones late in life is a meaningful way to make family and friends feel cherished. Gifts of real estate to family and friends may show appreciation, but a gift of real estate made late in life to a family member or caretaker can raise several red flags. Is the donor susceptible to fraud or undue influence by the recipient of the gift? Does the donor have sufficient mental capacity to make the gift? To address these red flags, courts require certain documentation or evidence if a gift is contested.

One of the court’s primary concerns regarding gifts from adults late in life is whether the gift was influenced by fraud or undue influence, especially when gifts are given to people who have close relationships with the adult. Therefore, California law requires courts to apply a legal presumption – an assumption that any gift from a dependent adult (person over 65 who is unable to provide for his or her personal needs) to a “care custodian” was the product of fraud or undue influence. (Cal. Prob. Code, § 21380.)

A “care custodian” is a person who provides health or social services to a dependent adult. A “care custodian” is not someone who provided services to a dependent adult if the custodian had a personal relationship with the dependent adult at least 90 days before providing health or social services, at least 6 months before the dependent adult’s death, and before the dependent adult was admitted to hospice care if he/she was admitted. (Cal. Prob. Code, § 21362.) The person in favor of the gift can rebut, or oppose, the presumption of fraud or undue influence with evidence that the gift was not the product of fraud or undue influence. (Cal. Prob. Code, § 21380.)

Courts will not assume the gift is a product of fraud or undue influence if a “certificate of independent review” is executed with the transfer. A certificate of independent review shows the court that an independent attorney consulted with the person making the gift about the nature and consequences of the gift and attempted to determine if the intended gift was the result of fraud or undue influence. This consultation must occur out of the presence of the any heirs or proposed recipients. The certificate is signed and given to the person making the gift.

The court will not assume the donor’s family members and cohabitants received gifts from a dependent adult by fraud or influence. (Cal. Prob. Code , § 21382.) However, gifts to family members and cohabitants will be invalid if the family member or cohabitant drafted the transfer document themselves. Family members and cohabitants are also subject to claims that the donor’s gift was subject to fraud or undue influence. (Cal. Prob. Code, § 6104.) They may also be subject to a claim that the donor did not have sufficient mental capacity to make the gift.

To prove undue influence, one must show the donor acted under excessive persuasion that overcame his/her free will. In California, the court will assume undue influence occurred if the party contesting the gift can prove three elements: (1) the existence of a confidential or fiduciary relationship between the donor and the person allegedly asserting undue influence over the donor, (2) active participation by the alleged influencer in the creation of the transfer document, and (3) an undue benefit on the alleged influencer (typically the receipt of the gift).

A gift may also be contested on the basis of the donor’s lack of mental capacity at the time the gift was made. The court can consider testimony and documentation showing the donor may or may not have been mentally competent to make the gift while alive.

Gift of real estate to family members and caretakers can be complicated and raise red flags that the donor, recipient, or other family members did not intend to face. If you are contemplating giving a gift to a family member or caretaker, receiving a gift from a family member, or contesting a gift to a donor’s family member or caretaker, please contact one of the experienced attorneys at Lonich Patton Ehrlich Policastri. We offer a free half-hour consultations.

Please remember that each individual situation is unique and results discussed in this post are not a guarantee of future results. While this post may detail general legal issues, it is not legal advice. Use of this site does not create an attorney-client relationship.