Most of us have been involved in pranks, both as the person pulling the prank on another and as someone who has been pranked. In most cases, the pranks are fun and no one is emotionally or physically hurt, but there is always an exception.

The best indicator that a prank has gone too far is that the police have gotten involved. In the eyes of the law, it doesn’t matter if you were pulling a prank or if you deliberately set about to hurt someone. If a law was broken, you could end up in jail.

Most pranks attract legal attention because someone has gotten seriously hurt or property was damaged during the prank.

Here is a small sample of the type of pranks that could potentially get you into hot legal water.

Making Prank Calls

Prank calls seem harmless...

There is a housing problem in California. The state has more people who need a home than there are affordable rental options available. The shortage of available housing is likely why there seems to have been an increase in “squatting” cases.

What is Squatting?

Squatting is a slang term that’s used to describe the practice of moving into a living space, such as an empty apartment, and using it as a residence. Squatting is the common term. The formal term the California court system likes to use is adverse possession.

While it’s usually easy to determine that the person who has taken up residence is a squatter, figuring out both the squatter’s and property owner’s actual legal rights is complicated.

The interesting thing about squatting is that it’s not an actual crime...

Being falsely accused of a crime is many people’s biggest fears. The chances of false accusations increase when relationships end. Too often, one person feels betrayed or hurt and decides that the best way to get back at their former lover is lying about criminal activity or abuse. In many situations, these types of cases also involve a custody dispute with children.

If you are considering falsely accusing someone of a crime, there are some things you should understand beforehand.

The Court will Look at Intent

If you’re caught making false criminal accusations against someone, the first thing the prosecutor does is look at what you were thinking when you originally filed the charges.

In a vast majority of the cases, the person filing the charges doesn’t hold any malice towards the pe...

It’s not uncommon to look up a crime, such as disturbing the peace, and see that it is one of California’s wobbler laws. If you’re confused by the use of the word wobbler, you’re not alone. Few people who aren’t directly involved with California’s judicial process understand exactly what wobbler laws are.

How California’s Wobbler Laws Work

Wobbler laws aren’t complicated. Seeing the word wobbler attached to an offense simply means that the prosecution has an option. They have the luxury of charging the defendant with either a felony or a misdemeanor.

In most cases, the amount of damage the defendant has done determines which way the charge wobbles. For example, if you’re charged with a hit and run accident that only involved property damage, you’ll face misdemeanor cha...

Every single election year provides lawmakers with a new opportunity to tweak California’s voting system. Here are the changes that will impact voters on November 3rd.

Changes to How Candidates Names Appear on the Ballot

Before 2020, California voting laws listed some situations where the names of the candidates had to be translated into another language. The idea was that this helped non-English speaking registered voters identify the candidate. That law has been tweaked.

Jurisdictions that previously printed the names in a different language not can provide a phonetic translation of the candidate’s name. There are a few exceptions to this law, that include:

✦ Proof that the candidate has been known by a specific name in that community for a minimum of two years
✦ The candidate can...

Lawmakers aren’t fooling around when it comes to people messing with other people’s mail. The issue of mail theft is explored in US Code Section 1708. It’s important to understand that because mail theft involves the United States Postal Service, a federal agency, mail theft is considered a federal offense. The State of California will likely add a few charges as well.

What is Mail Theft

If you read US Code 18 Section 1708 you’ll learn that taking any piece of mail that wasn’t sent to you is considered mail theft. It doesn’t matter if the mail is taken directly from a post office employee, snatched from a mailbox, or snuck of a mail truck. It’s all mail theft.

Additional Offenses That Are Frequently Added to Mail Theft Charges

It’s rare for a person to be charged with jus...

It doesn’t matter if you’re an employee or an employer, it’s important to understand California’s labor laws. The problem most people encounter is that the state hasn’t gone out of its way to break these laws down in a way that is easily researched or understood.

Minimum Wage

California is a bit peculiar because instead of creating a flat minimum wage that covers everyone, California has two different minimum wages. The first is $13. The second is $12. The amount of minimum wage an employer pays is based on the size of the business.

The problem with this system is that it urges California employers to keep the number of employees under 24 which can often discourage them from trying to expand their business or to take on additional employees during the times that they are busy.

O
ne of the great things about living here in the United States is that people can always speak their mind. The First Amendment to the Constitution grants every US citizen the right to freedom of speech and peacefully protest. This way, if someone doesn’t like something that is going on in the world, they can speak out against it and try to make a change.

While this law is a great one, there is often a bit of confusion around it. Sometimes people find themselves being arrested for what they believe to have been them exercising their First Amendment Rights. This is especially common during protests. The problem is that some people don’t understand what is and isn’t protected, and so they may overstep and do something they think is protected when, in fact, it is considered illegal.

T...