False Imprisonment Defense Lawyers in Los Angeles, CA

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False Imprisonment

What happens if you restrain someone from going out against his or her will? Or what happens if you lock your spouse in a room when he or she wants to go out? You may be charged with a criminal offense under PC 236 and PC 237. Whether you keep hold them for few minutes to some hours, you can be held accountable for false imprisonment of the victim. The act of restraining or holding the person when it does not reach the level of kidnapping is charged with the lesser crime of false imprisonment.

If you are charged with violation of PC 236, you can be convicted of either a misdemeanor or a felony with a permanent criminal record which means the long lasting impact on your employment opportunities. Do not despair. Call the law office of David S. Chesley at (800) 755-5174 for a free consultation.

Definition of False Imprisonment

As defined in the PC 236, false imprisonment is an unlawful infringement of freedom of another person. In simplest terms, any confinement, restraining, or restricting someone at one place or to force him or her to go to the other place is false imprisonment in the eyes of the Californian criminal system.

Elements of Crime

To establish the charges of false imprisonment against a person, the prosecutor must prove the following things in front of the law.

To Prove a Misdemeanor

The defendant ‘willfully’ and ‘unlawfully’ held, restrained or confined the victim.
The defendant held, restrained or confined the person against his or her will.

To Prove a Felony

The defendant ‘willfully’ and ‘unlawfully’ held, restrained or confined the victim by using force or violence.
The defendant held, restrained or confined the person against his or her will by using force or violence.

Examples of False Imprisonment

The common examples of false imprisonment appear to be something like this,

Holding your spouse or cohabitant fro, walking out of the heated argument.
Restraining your spouse from leaving home after a fight.
Unlawfully forcing a customer to stay at the shop without any reasonable suspicion.
Forcing customer to go to the backside of the shop without reasonable suspicion.
Holding your boss/ co-worker in an office room at gunpoint.
Threatening to harm or injure another person if the other person leaves the room.
Restricting employees to one room for theft interview not allowing them to use the bathroom or make a phone call.

In the events when violence is used such as the use of a firearm or a knife to restrain the victim, it is charged as a felony. When the defendant involves minimal force such as holding a hand or blocking the door, it is often charged as a misdemeanor.

Penalties of False Imprisonment

You should not consider the charges of false imprisonment trivial. If convicted you can face thousands of dollars in fine, jail time in county jail and if you are convicted of a felony, you can face imprisonment in state prison. It depends on the seriousness of the crime, duration of restraining, and previous criminal record whether the charges are filed as felony or misdemeanor.

Importance of Consent

Consent is one of the most important factors in false imprisonment. If the customer or employee or the person gives the consent to be held or stopped, it cannot be charged as false imprisonment. For example, you asked the employee for written or verbal consent before holding them for theft interview; you cannot be charged under PC 236. If you took the permission of the customer before holding them for bag check, it is also not a violation of personal liberties.

Available Defenses in False Imprisonment

David S. Chesley’s law office has a team of defense attorneys that are known for their knowledge and experience in courthouses across California. With detailed analysis of the crime scene and the circumstances, we pick out available defenses and manipulate them in strong arguments. Some of the commonly available defenses in the cases of false imprisonment are,

Voluntary Presence: The person consented to the restraint or was not held against his or her will.

Lawful Detention: The defendant had reasonable suspicion against the victim to have committed a crime or to endanger himself. For example, you witness someone stealing from the shop; you confined that person to the shop until law enforcement officers came to the scene, it is lawful detention.

Our client faced multiple serious charges in Los Angeles County, including Penal Code § 211 (Robbery), § 245(a)(1) (Assault with a Deadly Weapon), and § 245(a)(4) (Assault with Force Likely to Cause Great Bodily Injury). Unlike a co-defendant represented by another firm who pled to a felony conviction with a "strike," our legal team pursued a different strategy. Through the submission of a comprehensive mitigation package to the District Attorney, we successfully negotiated a complete dismissal of all charges.
Our client faced serious charges under Penal Code section 211 for alleged felony robbery involving force and fear in Riverside County (Murrieta Court) . The prosecution argued that probation was not appropriate due to our client’s prior felony convictions in San Bernardino County, including a previous robbery in April 2021 and grand theft in November 2019. Despite the severity of these allegations, our legal team successfully demonstrated insufficient evidence during the preliminary hearing. As a result, all charges were dismissed. This outcome allowed our client to move forward without the burden of a new conviction.
Multiple defendants each facing 7 years charged with smuggling prescription drugs into California from Mexico our client was the only defendant who received NO JAIL TIME!
Client facing 5 years for possession of deadly weapon we negotiated a plea for NO JAIL TIME!
Client facing 3 life terms for multiple felony counts of Child Molestation and Sodomy with child we proved the charges were fabricated by victims mother DISMISSAL of all charges at preliminary hearing!
Strike case: Client charged with possession of methamphetamine facing 25 years we filed a Romero Motion which was granted case REDUCED TO MISDEMEANOR!
Client's estranged girlfriend alleged Client broke into her room and choked her facing 14 years in State Prison we won at trial JURY ACQUITTAL.
Police allegedly discovered 3 bags of marijuana in client's glove box faced 6 years we filed a 1538.5 motion to suppress resulting in DISMISSAL of all charges!

What our clients say Client Testimonials

I am truly pleased with my experience with the Law Offices Of David S Chesley. They answered all my questions and provided me with great advice and legal services. My case resolved quickly. Thank you!
Rodrigo L.

I left court yesterday with my last case being wrapped up. Two court appearances and that’s it. He represented me in a couple of different cases and was impressive to say the least. Always a phone call or text message away. Confident and aggressive when he needed to be. Calming and thorough when meeting with me. Attorney Chesley did exactly what he said he would and I got the results I needed. He seemed to know all the right people at the Temple Street courthouse. You can always get in contact with him quickly and he is a great lawyer. I highly recommend his legal services.
Ricardo Esteves

My brother was given a very caring attorney that was assigned to his case and we had very helpful case managers throughout the process. I strongly recommend David Chesley to anyone who is in trouble. I called in to get help on my brothers case and right away I liked their service. My brothers charges were eventually dismissed after the attorney got him into a program, now he could go on without the trouble of having anything on his record
Erica Geller

I retained Mr. Chesley and his firm and from the beginning they were extremely professional both in communicating the status of my case to me, explaining the situation as a whole, and just downright taking care of business. It was money well spent for a job well done. Thanks again to David and Melissa others that worked on my case. I recommend this firm to anyone in need of legal representation. Don’t just accept things the courts force on you, call this firm and protect yourself.
Elizabeth F.

I contacted Mr. Chesley and his firm because some unfortunate events had left me in a jam. Detectives were demanding I testify or be prosecuted for a crime I didn’t commit. (I wasn’t involved or even at the scene of the alleged crime when it supposedly took place.) Mr. Chesley explained to me that he had been through similar situations with his clients before and understood exactly what was going on. His response to what took place was nothing short of amazing. No matter how small my concern, Mr. Chesley addressed it in a timely manner. He advocated for what is right and empathized with me in dealing with the Court system. After meeting with the supervising D.A. and providing alibi evidence he was able to get me out the situation. I’m very grateful to have found him.
Leon Hanley

I hired David Chesley for my criminal defense in 2012. he was recommended to us for is success results and his low fees. David is very smart and his professional legal advice was honest & much appreciated during these stressful time. David’s knowledge, advice, and communication about what we were to expect was reassuring and beneficial to me. He charged me a reasonable flat rate and didn’t charge me any surprise fees. In my case David Chesley was able to negotiate with the prosecution attorney for the best result I could hope for. He had success at getting my criminal charges dismissed with the judges approval. You will not be disappointed if you hire The Law Offices of David S. Chesley.
Britanny Givens

David is very professional, yet very casual. Although it is typically not easy to speak straight up with an attorney, he is very easy to talk to. He replied to my questions quickly and was available all hours. Not only did he get my case resolved with a dismissal, he went above and beyond and got me an expungement without me even requesting it. He never beats around the bush and tells you like it is. At the same time is willing to work overtime to get the results you request. I would use David’s services again in the future.
Andrew A.

very satisfied being a client with the Law Offices of David Chesley.. Negin represented both my husband and I and got both our cases dis issued… Negin was on top of our cases she really cares and did everything she said she would do!!! thanks a lot Negin
Rita K.

I don’t write many reviews, however this time I had to share my admiration and appreciation for this firm. Attorney Negin Akhavan is definitely a person you want representing you in any criminal legal battle. She is the clear definition of the frace “is not what you know, but who you know ” she is not only knowledgeable, she also has the relationships with the right people. I couldn’t be happier with the results she was able to provide.

Thank you Negin.
Gabriel V.

An old felony charge came up, so I hired David and his team in June, and he got me a release on my own cognition on a felony charge in July which has never happened to me, and got it dismissed in October. He was responsive when I called and always kept me updated. Got my case dismissed, was easy to work and handled everything for me. He did an excellent job. I highly recommend David Chesley for any criminal defense.
Jason Corona

They really helped me out in a timely manner. I had a drug charge from 16 years ago and they dealt with it quickly. I can’t recommend them enough. If you have a criminal charges check them out they are awesome.
Santiago L.