Orange County sexual assault lawyer, William Weinberg is an experienced attorney who has successfully defended hundreds of clients, including those charged with sexual assault. Mr. Weinberg is a zealous advocate for the clients that he represents and has a track record of proven results. Mr. Weinberg takes the time to individually review each potential client’s case to provide a plan that works best for their circumstances. In California, there are a variety of crimes and behaviors that are considered to be part of the broader categories of sexual assault and sexual battery. Generally, the term sexual assault applies to any sexual contact that is unwanted and offensive. Typically, the word most often used in sexual assault cases is consent. If the victim did not consent to the sexual contact, then a sexual assault has occurred. This obviously includes instances where a victim is physically forced to have sexual contact but there is also a lack of consent in situations where a victim is physically or verbally unable to consent, when the victim is heavily intoxicated, when a victim is unconscious, and with victims who are mentally disabled. Additionally, the use of force is not the only way that a victim who is able to consent may be sexually assaulted. Psychological forces such as manipulation, emotional coercion, and intimidation may also be used to pressure someone into having unwanted sexual contact.
These types of contacts are against the law and a person may be criminally prosecuted if they engage in this type of behavior against another person. Some examples of sexual assault crimes include, but are not limited to, forcing some to have sex by threatening to hurt one of his or her family members or inappropriately touching someone who is mentally disabled.
Sexual assault crimes can be charged either as a misdemeanor or a felony in California based on the severity of the crime as well as several other factors. Misdemeanor sexual assault penalties include jail time of up to one year and fines up to $3,000. Felony sexual assault penalties include prison time of up to four years and fines up to $10,000. People who are convicted of sexual assault also have to register as a sex offender for life per California Penal Code Section 290. Additionally, there is no longer a statute of limitations on sexual assault crimes in California, so a person who has committed a sexual assault crime may be charged for this crime at any point in time. Therefore, it is extremely important that you hire an experienced sexual assault attorney in Orange County to help defend your case if you are charged with any type of sexual assault crime.
Men, women, and children can all be victims of sexual assault crimes. In Orange County, the sheriff’s department has a unique unit known as the Special Victims Detail that is specifically designed to investigate reports of sexual assault against both adults and minors. Sex crimes are aggressively prosecuted in Orange County and the consequences of a conviction can be significant. Therefore, it is extremely important that you hire an experienced sexual assault attorney in Orange County that can help protect you if you have been charged with this type of crime.
Orange County sexual assault lawyer William Weinberg is an extremely experienced lawyer in Orange County who has many years of experience defending clients charged with various crimes. He will consider your case free of charge and advise you of your options. To reach him please contact his Irvine office at 949-474-8008 or by emailing him at bill@williamweinberg.com.