Overview: Assault & Battery

Have you been charged with assault & battery?

Although assault & battery are associated with one-another, there are separate laws against each offense. In many cases, however, both assault and battery charges are levied because they are meant to address the progression of a violent situation. Assault occurs when a person makes threats of force or attempts to cause injury in another person. Battery is the progression of this event, and occurs when a person actually causes an injury in another. Because so much of an assault or battery charge relies on victim accusations and eye-witness accounts, it can be very difficult for a prosecutor to be successful. However, a skilled attorney from Okabe & Haushalter may find a measure of success in utilizing a variety of strategies to minimize or eliminate charges entirely.

Though assault and battery may be individual crimes, the penalties for conviction are quite similar. Simple assault and battery are misdemeanors and carry county jails sentences up to 6 months with fines of $1,000. Community service and completion of a batterers' program are also required. Aggravated battery is more serious and occurs when a person causes serious injury to another. When these charges are a misdemeanor, the offender may face 1 year in a county jail with fines of $1,000. When these charges are a felony, state prison sentences up to 4 years are possible with up to $10,000 in fines. Assault with a deadly weapon also carries a sentence of up to 4 years and $10,000 with additional penalties such as weapon confiscation and the requirement to pay victim restitution.

Protecting Your Rights & Reputation

Assault and battery charges are difficult to prosecute because the legitimacy of the case depends on unstable factors like the victims' motivation or the inability of a witness to accurately recall the event. The criminal defense law firm of Okabe & Haushalter has worked for years to provide clients throughout San Francisco with the kind of high-quality representation necessary to turn back assault and battery charges. Our firm will work hard to prove your innocence, and we will not shy away from courtroom challenges as we pursue the most favorable outcome possible.