Bill Text: CA SB196 | 2015-2016 | Regular Session | Chaptered
Bill Title: Elder abuse: protective orders.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-1)
Status: (Passed) 2015-09-09 - Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 285, Statutes of 2015. [SB196 Detail]
Download: California-2015-SB196-Chaptered.html
BILL NUMBER: SB 196 CHAPTERED
BILL TEXT
CHAPTER 285
FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE SEPTEMBER 9, 2015
APPROVED BY GOVERNOR SEPTEMBER 9, 2015
PASSED THE SENATE AUGUST 27, 2015
PASSED THE ASSEMBLY AUGUST 20, 2015
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 17, 2015
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 25, 2015
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 15, 2015
AMENDED IN SENATE MAY 19, 2015
AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 23, 2015
AMENDED IN SENATE MARCH 19, 2015
INTRODUCED BY Senator Hancock
(Coauthor: Senator Stone)
(Coauthor: Assembly Member Brown)
FEBRUARY 10, 2015
An act to amend, repeal, and add Sections 15610.07 and 15657.03 of
the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to elder abuse.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 196, Hancock. Elder abuse: protective orders.
Existing law authorizes a court to issue a protective order to
restrain any person for the purpose of preventing the abuse of an
elder or dependent adult. Under existing law, certain persons are
authorized to file a petition for these protective orders on behalf
of the elder or dependent adult, including a conservator or trustee,
an attorney-in-fact, a person appointed as a guardian ad litem, or
other person legally authorized to seek the order.
This bill would, commencing July 1, 2016, additionally authorize a
county adult protective services agency to file a petition for a
protective order on behalf of an elder or dependent adult who has
suffered abuse and has an impaired ability to appreciate and
understand the circumstances that place him or her at risk of harm,
or who has provided written authorization for the agency to act on
his or her behalf. The bill would impose specified requirements on an
adult protective services agency that files the petition, including,
among others, assisting the elder or dependent adult to attend the
hearing and, if a petition to appoint a conservator has not already
been filed, referring the elder or dependent adult to the public
guardian, as specified. The bill would also recast and clarify the
definition of "abuse of an elder or a dependent adult."
This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 15657.03
of the Welfare and Institutions Code, proposed by AB 494 and AB
1081, that would become operative only if this bill and either or
both of those bills are chaptered and become effective January 1,
2016, and this bill is chaptered last.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Section 15610.07 of the Welfare and Institutions Code
is amended to read:
15610.07. (a) "Abuse of an elder or a dependent adult" means
either of the following:
(1) Physical abuse, neglect, financial abuse, abandonment,
isolation, abduction, or other treatment with resulting physical harm
or pain or mental suffering.
(2) The deprivation by a care custodian of goods or services that
are necessary to avoid physical harm or mental suffering.
(b) This section shall become inoperative on July 1, 2016, and, as
of January 1, 2017, is repealed, unless a later enacted statute,
that becomes operative on or before January 1, 2017, deletes or
extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and is repealed.
SEC. 2. Section 15610.07 is added to the Welfare and Institutions
Code, to read:
15610.07. (a) "Abuse of an elder or a dependent adult" means any
of the following:
(1) Physical abuse, neglect, abandonment, isolation, abduction, or
other treatment with resulting physical harm or pain or mental
suffering.
(2) The deprivation by a care custodian of goods or services that
are necessary to avoid physical harm or mental suffering.
(3) Financial abuse, as defined in Section 15610.30.
(b) This section shall become operative on July 1, 2016.
SEC. 3. Section 15657.03 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is
amended to read:
15657.03. (a) (1) An elder or dependent adult who has suffered
abuse, as defined in Section 15610.07, may seek protective orders as
provided in this section.
(2) A petition may be brought on behalf of an abused elder or
dependent adult by a conservator or a trustee of the elder or
dependent adult, an attorney-in-fact of an elder or dependent adult
who acts within the authority of a power of attorney, a person
appointed as a guardian ad litem for the elder or dependent adult, or
other person legally authorized to seek such relief.
(b) For the purposes of this section:
(1) "Conservator" means the legally appointed conservator of the
person or estate of the petitioner, or both.
(2) "Petitioner" means the elder or dependent adult to be
protected by the protective orders and, if the court grants the
petition, the protected person.
(3) "Protective order" means an order that includes any of the
following restraining orders, whether issued ex parte, after notice
and hearing, or in a judgment:
(A) An order enjoining a party from abusing, intimidating,
molesting, attacking, striking, stalking, threatening, sexually
assaulting, battering, harassing, telephoning, including, but not
limited to, making annoying telephone calls as described in Section
653m of the Penal Code, destroying personal property, contacting,
either directly or indirectly, by mail or otherwise, or coming within
a specified distance of, or disturbing the peace of, the petitioner,
and, in the discretion of the court, on a showing of good cause, of
other named family or household members or a conservator, if any, of
the petitioner.
(B) An order excluding a party from the petitioner's residence or
dwelling, except that this order shall not be issued if legal or
equitable title to, or lease of, the residence or dwelling is in the
sole name of the party to be excluded, or is in the name of the party
to be excluded and any other party besides the petitioner.
(C) An order enjoining a party from specified behavior that the
court determines is necessary to effectuate orders described in
subparagraph (A) or (B).
(4) "Respondent" means the person against whom the protective
orders are sought and, if the petition is granted, the restrained
person.
(c) An order may be issued under this section, with or without
notice, to restrain any person for the purpose of preventing a
recurrence of abuse, if a declaration shows, to the satisfaction of
the court, reasonable proof of a past act or acts of abuse of the
petitioning elder or dependent adult.
(d) Upon filing a petition for protective orders under this
section, the petitioner may obtain a temporary restraining order in
accordance with Section 527 of the Code of Civil Procedure, except to
the extent this section provides a rule that is inconsistent. The
temporary restraining order may include any of the protective orders
described in paragraph (3) of subdivision (b). However, the court may
issue an ex parte order excluding a party from the petitioner's
residence or dwelling only on a showing of all of the following:
(1) Facts sufficient for the court to ascertain that the party who
will stay in the dwelling has a right under color of law to
possession of the premises.
(2) That the party to be excluded has assaulted or threatens to
assault the petitioner, other named family or household member of the
petitioner, or a conservator of the petitioner.
(3) That physical or emotional harm would otherwise result to the
petitioner, other named family or household member of the petitioner,
or a conservator of the petitioner.
(e) A request for the issuance of a temporary restraining order
without notice under this section shall be granted or denied on the
same day that the petition is submitted to the court, unless the
petition is filed too late in the day to permit effective review, in
which case the order shall be granted or denied on the next day of
judicial business in sufficient time for the order to be filed that
day with the clerk of the court.
(f) Within 21 days, or, if good cause appears to the court, 25
days, from the date that a request for a temporary restraining order
is granted or denied, a hearing shall be held on the petition. If no
request for temporary orders is made, the hearing shall be held
within 21 days, or, if good cause appears to the court, 25 days, from
the date that the petition is filed.
(g) The respondent may file a response that explains or denies the
alleged abuse.
(h) The court may issue, upon notice and a hearing, any of the
orders set forth in paragraph (3) of subdivision (b). The court may
issue, after notice and hearing, an order excluding a person from a
residence or dwelling if the court finds that physical or emotional
harm would otherwise result to the petitioner, other named family or
household member of the petitioner, or conservator of the petitioner.
(i) (1) In the discretion of the court, an order issued after
notice and a hearing under this section may have a duration of not
more than five years, subject to termination or modification by
further order of the court either on written stipulation filed with
the court or on the motion of a party. These orders may be renewed
upon the request of a party, either for five years or permanently,
without a showing of any further abuse since the issuance of the
original order, subject to termination or modification by further
order of the court either on written stipulation filed with the court
or on the motion of a party. The request for renewal may be brought
at any time within the three months before the expiration of the
order.
(2) The failure to state the expiration date on the face of the
form creates an order with a duration of three years from the date of
issuance.
(3) If an action is filed for the purpose of terminating or
modifying a protective order prior to the expiration date specified
in the order by a party other than the protected party, the party who
is protected by the order shall be given notice, pursuant to
subdivision (b) of Section 1005 of the Code of Civil Procedure, of
the proceeding by personal service or, if the protected party has
satisfied the requirements of Chapter 3.1 (commencing with Section
6205) of Division 7 of Title 1 of the Government Code, by service on
the Secretary of State. If the party who is protected by the order
cannot be notified prior to the hearing for modification or
termination of the protective order, the court shall deny the motion
to modify or terminate the order without prejudice or continue the
hearing until the party who is protected can be properly noticed and
may, upon a showing of good cause, specify another method for service
of process that is reasonably designed to afford actual notice to
the protected party. The protected party may waive his or her right
to notice if he or she is physically present in court and does not
challenge the sufficiency of the notice.
(j) In a proceeding under this section, a support person may
accompany a party in court and, if the party is not represented by an
attorney, may sit with the party at the table that is generally
reserved for the party and the party's attorney. The support person
is present to provide moral and emotional support for a person who
alleges he or she is a victim of abuse. The support person is not
present as a legal adviser and may not provide legal advice. The
support person may assist the person who alleges he or she is a
victim of abuse in feeling more confident that he or she will not be
injured or threatened by the other party during the proceedings if
the person who alleges he or she is a victim of abuse and the other
party are required to be present in close proximity. This subdivision
does not preclude the court from exercising its discretion to remove
the support person from the courtroom if the court believes the
support person is prompting, swaying, or influencing the party
assisted by the support person.
(k) Upon the filing of a petition for protective orders under this
section, the respondent shall be personally served with a copy of
the petition, notice of the hearing or order to show cause, temporary
restraining order, if any, and any declarations in support of the
petition. Service shall be made at least five days before the
hearing. The court may, on motion of the petitioner or on its own
motion, shorten the time for service on the respondent.
(l) A notice of hearing under this section shall notify the
respondent that if he or she does not attend the hearing, the court
may make orders against him or her that could last up to five years.
(m) (1) The court may, upon the filing of a declaration by the
petitioner that the respondent could not be served within the time
required by statute, reissue an order previously issued and dissolved
by the court for failure to serve the respondent. The reissued order
shall remain in effect until the date set for the hearing.
(2) The reissued order shall state on its face the date of
expiration of the order.
(n) (1) If a respondent, named in an order issued under this
section after a hearing, has not been served personally with the
order but has received actual notice of the existence and substance
of the order through personal appearance in court to hear the terms
of the order from the court, no additional proof of service is
required for enforcement of the order.
(2) If the respondent named in a temporary restraining order is
personally served with the order and notice of hearing with respect
to a restraining order or protective order based on the temporary
restraining order, but the respondent does not appear at the hearing,
either personally or by an attorney, and the terms and conditions of
the restraining order or protective order issued at the hearing are
identical to the temporary restraining order, except for the duration
of the order, then the restraining order or protective order issued
at the hearing may be served on the respondent by first-class mail
sent to the respondent at the most current address for the respondent
that is available to the court.
(3) The Judicial Council form for temporary orders issued pursuant
to this subdivision shall contain a statement in substantially the
following form:
"If you have been personally served with a temporary restraining
order and notice of hearing, but you do not appear at the hearing
either in person or by a lawyer, and a restraining order that is the
same as this temporary restraining order except for the expiration
date is issued at the hearing, a copy of the order will be served on
you by mail at the following address: ____.
If that address is not correct or you wish to verify that the
temporary restraining order was converted to a restraining order at
the hearing without substantive change and to find out the duration
of that order, contact the clerk of the court."
(o) (1) Information on a protective order relating to elder or
dependent adult abuse issued by a court pursuant to this section
shall be transmitted to the Department of Justice in accordance with
either paragraph (2) or (3).
(2) The court shall order the petitioner or the attorney for the
petitioner to deliver a copy of an order issued under this section,
or a reissuance, extension, modification, or termination of the
order, and any subsequent proof of service, by the close of the
business day on which the order, reissuance, extension, modification,
or termination was made, to each law enforcement agency having
jurisdiction over the residence of the petitioner, and to any
additional law enforcement agencies within the court's discretion as
are requested by the petitioner.
(3) Alternatively, the court or its designee shall transmit,
within one business day, to law enforcement personnel all information
required under subdivision (b) of Section 6380 of the Family Code
regarding any order issued under this section, or a reissuance,
extension, modification, or termination of the order, and any
subsequent proof of service, by either one of the following methods:
(A) Transmitting a physical copy of the order or proof of service
to a local law enforcement agency authorized by the Department of
Justice to enter orders into the California Law Enforcement
Telecommunications System (CLETS).
(B) With the approval of the Department of Justice, entering the
order or proof of service into CLETS directly.
(4) Each appropriate law enforcement agency shall make available
information as to the existence and current status of these orders to
law enforcement officers responding to the scene of reported abuse.
(5) An order issued under this section shall, on request of the
petitioner, be served on the respondent, whether or not the
respondent has been taken into custody, by any law enforcement
officer who is present at the scene of reported abuse involving the
parties to the proceeding. The petitioner shall provide the officer
with an endorsed copy of the order and a proof of service, which the
officer shall complete and send to the issuing court.
(6) Upon receiving information at the scene of an incident of
abuse that a protective order has been issued under this section, or
that a person who has been taken into custody is the respondent to
that order, if the protected person cannot produce an endorsed copy
of the order, a law enforcement officer shall immediately attempt to
verify the existence of the order.
(7) If the law enforcement officer determines that a protective
order has been issued, but not served, the officer shall immediately
notify the respondent of the terms of the order and where a written
copy of the order can be obtained, and the officer shall at that time
also enforce the order. The law enforcement officer's verbal notice
of the terms of the order shall constitute service of the order and
is sufficient notice for the purposes of this section and for the
purposes of Section 273.6 of the Penal Code.
(p) Nothing in this section shall preclude either party from
representation by private counsel or from appearing on the party's
own behalf.
(q) There is no filing fee for a petition, response, or paper
seeking the reissuance, modification, or enforcement of a protective
order filed in a proceeding brought pursuant to this section.
(r) Pursuant to paragraph (4) of subdivision (b) of Section 6103.2
of the Government Code, a petitioner shall not be required to pay a
fee for law enforcement to serve an order issued under this section.
(s) The prevailing party in an action brought under this section
may be awarded court costs and attorney's fees, if any.
(t) (1) A person subject to a protective order under this section
shall not own, possess, purchase, receive, or attempt to receive a
firearm or ammunition while the protective order is in effect.
(2) The court shall order a person subject to a protective order
issued under this section to relinquish any firearms he or she owns
or possesses pursuant to Section 527.9 of the Code of Civil
Procedure.
(3) Every person who owns, possesses, purchases, or receives, or
attempts to purchase or receive a firearm or ammunition while subject
to a protective order issued under this section is punishable
pursuant to Section 29825 of the Penal Code.
(4) This subdivision does not apply in a case in which a
protective order issued under this section was made solely on the
basis of financial abuse unaccompanied by force, threat, harassment,
intimidation, or any other form of abuse.
(u) Any willful disobedience of any temporary restraining order or
restraining order after hearing granted under this section is
punishable pursuant to Section 273.6 of the Penal Code.
(v) This section does not apply to any action or proceeding
governed by Title 1.6C (commencing with Section 1788) of Part 4 of
Division 3 of the Civil Code, Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 525)
of Title 7 of Part 2 of the Code of Civil Procedure, or Division 10
(commencing with Section 6200) of the Family Code. Nothing in this
section shall preclude a petitioner's right to use other existing
civil remedies.
(w) The Judicial Council shall develop forms, instructions, and
rules relating to matters governed by this section. The petition and
response forms shall be simple and concise, and their use by parties
in actions brought pursuant to this section shall be mandatory.
(x) This section shall become inoperative on July 1, 2016, and, as
of January 1, 2017, is repealed, unless a later enacted statute,
that becomes operative on or before January 1, 2017, deletes or
extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and is repealed.
SEC. 3.1. Section 15657.03 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is
amended to read:
15657.03. (a) (1) An elder or dependent adult who has suffered
abuse, as defined in Section 15610.07, may seek protective orders as
provided in this section.
(2) A petition may be brought on behalf of an abused elder or
dependent adult by a conservator or a trustee of the elder or
dependent adult, an attorney-in-fact of an elder or dependent adult
who acts within the authority of a power of attorney, a person
appointed as a guardian ad litem for the elder or dependent adult, or
other person legally authorized to seek such relief.
(b) For the purposes of this section:
(1) "Conservator" means the legally appointed conservator of the
person or estate of the petitioner, or both.
(2) "Petitioner" means the elder or dependent adult to be
protected by the protective orders and, if the court grants the
petition, the protected person.
(3) "Protective order" means an order that includes any of the
following restraining orders, whether issued ex parte, after notice
and hearing, or in a judgment:
(A) An order enjoining a party from abusing, intimidating,
molesting, attacking, striking, stalking, threatening, sexually
assaulting, battering, harassing, telephoning, including, but not
limited to, making annoying telephone calls as described in Section
653m of the Penal Code, destroying personal property, contacting,
either directly or indirectly, by mail or otherwise, or coming within
a specified distance of, or disturbing the peace of, the petitioner,
and, in the discretion of the court, on a showing of good cause, of
other named family or household members or a conservator, if any, of
the petitioner. On a showing of good cause, in an order issued
pursuant to this subparagraph in connection with an animal owned,
possessed, leased, kept, or held by the petitioner, or residing in
the residence or household of the petitioner, the court may do either
or both of the following:
(i) Grant the petitioner exclusive care, possession, or control of
the animal.
(ii) Order the respondent to stay away from the animal and refrain
from taking, transferring, encumbering, concealing, molesting,
attacking, striking, threatening, harming, or otherwise disposing of
the animal.
(B) An order excluding a party from the petitioner's residence or
dwelling, except that this order shall not be issued if legal or
equitable title to, or lease of, the residence or dwelling is in the
sole name of the party to be excluded, or is in the name of the party
to be excluded and any other party besides the petitioner.
(C) An order enjoining a party from specified behavior that the
court determines is necessary to effectuate orders described in
subparagraph (A) or (B).
(4) "Respondent" means the person against whom the protective
orders are sought and, if the petition is granted, the restrained
person.
(c) An order may be issued under this section, with or without
notice, to restrain any person for the purpose of preventing a
recurrence of abuse, if a declaration shows, to the satisfaction of
the court, reasonable proof of a past act or acts of abuse of the
petitioning elder or dependent adult.
(d) Upon filing a petition for protective orders under this
section, the petitioner may obtain a temporary restraining order in
accordance with Section 527 of the Code of Civil Procedure, except to
the extent this section provides a rule that is inconsistent. The
temporary restraining order may include any of the protective orders
described in paragraph (3) of subdivision (b). However, the court may
issue an ex parte order excluding a party from the petitioner's
residence or dwelling only on a showing of all of the following:
(1) Facts sufficient for the court to ascertain that the party who
will stay in the dwelling has a right under color of law to
possession of the premises.
(2) That the party to be excluded has assaulted or threatens to
assault the petitioner, other named family or household member of the
petitioner, or a conservator of the petitioner.
(3) That physical or emotional harm would otherwise result to the
petitioner, other named family or household member of the petitioner,
or a conservator of the petitioner.
(e) A request for the issuance of a temporary restraining order
without notice under this section shall be granted or denied on the
same day that the petition is submitted to the court, unless the
petition is filed too late in the day to permit effective review, in
which case the order shall be granted or denied on the next day of
judicial business in sufficient time for the order to be filed that
day with the clerk of the court.
(f) Within 21 days, or, if good cause appears to the court, 25
days, from the date that a request for a temporary restraining order
is granted or denied, a hearing shall be held on the petition. If no
request for temporary orders is made, the hearing shall be held
within 21 days, or, if good cause appears to the court, 25 days, from
the date that the petition is filed.
(g) The respondent may file a response that explains or denies the
alleged abuse.
(h) The court may issue, upon notice and a hearing, any of the
orders set forth in paragraph (3) of subdivision (b). The court may
issue, after notice and hearing, an order excluding a person from a
residence or dwelling if the court finds that physical or emotional
harm would otherwise result to the petitioner, other named family or
household member of the petitioner, or conservator of the petitioner.
(i) (1) In the discretion of the court, an order issued after
notice and a hearing under this section may have a duration of not
more than five years, subject to termination or modification by
further order of the court either on written stipulation filed with
the court or on the motion of a party. These orders may be renewed
upon the request of a party, either for five years or permanently,
without a showing of any further abuse since the issuance of the
original order, subject to termination or modification by further
order of the court either on written stipulation filed with the court
or on the motion of a party. The request for renewal may be brought
at any time within the three months before the expiration of the
order.
(2) The failure to state the expiration date on the face of the
form creates an order with a duration of three years from the date of
issuance.
(3) If an action is filed for the purpose of terminating or
modifying a protective order prior to the expiration date specified
in the order by a party other than the protected party, the party who
is protected by the order shall be given notice, pursuant to
subdivision (b) of Section 1005 of the Code of Civil Procedure, of
the proceeding by personal service or, if the protected party has
satisfied the requirements of Chapter 3.1 (commencing with Section
6205) of Division 7 of Title 1 of the Government Code, by service on
the Secretary of State. If the party who is protected by the order
cannot be notified prior to the hearing for modification or
termination of the protective order, the court shall deny the motion
to modify or terminate the order without prejudice or continue the
hearing until the party who is protected can be properly noticed and
may, upon a showing of good cause, specify another method for service
of process that is reasonably designed to afford actual notice to
the protected party. The protected party may waive his or her right
to notice if he or she is physically present in court and does not
challenge the sufficiency of the notice.
(j) In a proceeding under this section, a support person may
accompany a party in court and, if the party is not represented by an
attorney, may sit with the party at the table that is generally
reserved for the party and the party's attorney. The support person
is present to provide moral and emotional support for a person who
alleges he or she is a victim of abuse. The support person is not
present as a legal adviser and may not provide legal advice. The
support person may assist the person who alleges he or she is a
victim of abuse in feeling more confident that he or she will not be
injured or threatened by the other party during the proceedings if
the person who alleges he or she is a victim of abuse and the other
party are required to be present in close proximity. This subdivision
does not preclude the court from exercising its discretion to remove
the support person from the courtroom if the court believes the
support person is prompting, swaying, or influencing the party
assisted by the support person.
(k) Upon the filing of a petition for protective orders under
this section, the respondent shall be personally served with a copy
of the petition, notice of the hearing or order to show cause,
temporary restraining order, if any, and any declarations in support
of the petition. Service shall be made at least five days before the
hearing. The court may, on motion of the petitioner or on its own
motion, shorten the time for service on the respondent.
(l) A notice of hearing under this section shall notify the
respondent that if he or she does not attend the hearing, the court
may make orders against him or her that could last up to five years.
(m) (1) The court may, upon the filing of a declaration by the
petitioner that the respondent could not be served within the time
required by statute, reissue an order previously issued and dissolved
by the court for failure to serve the respondent. The reissued order
shall remain in effect until the date set for the hearing.
(2) The reissued order shall state on its face the date of
expiration of the order.
(n) (1) If a respondent, named in an order issued under this
section after a hearing, has not been served personally with the
order but has received actual notice of the existence and substance
of the order through personal appearance in court to hear the terms
of the order from the court, no additional proof of service is
required for enforcement of the order.
(2) If the respondent named in a temporary restraining order is
personally served with the order and notice of hearing with respect
to a restraining order or protective order based on the temporary
restraining order, but the respondent does not appear at the hearing,
either personally or by an attorney, and the terms and conditions of
the restraining order or protective order issued at the hearing are
identical to the temporary restraining order, except for the duration
of the order, then the restraining order or protective order issued
at the hearing may be served on the respondent by first-class mail
sent to the respondent at the most current address for the respondent
that is available to the court.
(3) The Judicial Council form for temporary orders issued pursuant
to this subdivision shall contain a statement in substantially the
following form:
"If you have been personally served with a temporary restraining
order and notice of hearing, but you do not appear at the hearing
either in person or by a lawyer, and a restraining order that is the
same as this temporary restraining order except for the expiration
date is issued at the hearing, a copy of the order will be served on
you by mail at the following address: ____.
If that address is not correct or you wish to verify that the
temporary restraining order was converted to a restraining order at
the hearing without substantive change and to find out the duration
of that order, contact the clerk of the court."
(o) (1) Information on a protective order relating to elder or
dependent adult abuse issued by a court pursuant to this section
shall be transmitted to the Department of Justice in accordance with
either paragraph (2) or (3).
(2) The court shall order the petitioner or the attorney for the
petitioner to deliver a copy of an order issued under this section,
or a reissuance, extension, modification, or termination of the
order, and any subsequent proof of service, by the close of the
business day on which the order, reissuance, extension, modification,
or termination was made, to each law enforcement agency having
jurisdiction over the residence of the petitioner, and to any
additional law enforcement agencies within the court's discretion as
are requested by the petitioner.
(3) Alternatively, the court or its designee shall transmit,
within one business day, to law enforcement personnel all information
required under subdivision (b) of Section 6380 of the Family Code
regarding any order issued under this section, or a reissuance,
extension, modification, or termination of the order, and any
subsequent proof of service, by either one of the following methods:
(A) Transmitting a physical copy of the order or proof of service
to a local law enforcement agency authorized by the Department of
Justice to enter orders into the California Law Enforcement
Telecommunications System (CLETS).
(B) With the approval of the Department of Justice, entering the
order or proof of service into CLETS directly.
(4) Each appropriate law enforcement agency shall make available
information as to the existence and current status of these orders to
law enforcement officers responding to the scene of reported abuse.
(5) An order issued under this section shall, on request of the
petitioner, be served on the respondent, whether or not the
respondent has been taken into custody, by any law enforcement
officer who is present at the scene of reported abuse involving the
parties to the proceeding. The petitioner shall provide the officer
with an endorsed copy of the order and a proof of service, which the
officer shall complete and send to the issuing court.
(6) Upon receiving information at the scene of an incident of
abuse that a protective order has been issued under this section, or
that a person who has been taken into custody is the respondent to
that order, if the protected person cannot produce an endorsed copy
of the order, a law enforcement officer shall immediately attempt to
verify the existence of the order.
(7) If the law enforcement officer determines that a protective
order has been issued, but not served, the officer shall immediately
notify the respondent of the terms of the order and where a written
copy of the order can be obtained, and the officer shall at that time
also enforce the order. The law enforcement officer's verbal notice
of the terms of the order shall constitute service of the order and
is sufficient notice for the purposes of this section and for the
purposes of Section 273.6 of the Penal Code.
(p) Nothing in this section shall preclude either party from
representation by private counsel or from appearing on the party's
own behalf.
(q) There is no filing fee for a petition, response, or paper
seeking the reissuance, modification, or enforcement of a protective
order filed in a proceeding brought pursuant to this section.
(r) Pursuant to paragraph (4) of subdivision (b) of Section 6103.2
of the Government Code, a petitioner shall not be required to pay a
fee for law enforcement to serve an order issued under this section.
(s) The prevailing party in an action brought under this section
may be awarded court costs and attorney's fees, if any.
(t) (1) A person subject to a protective order under this section
shall not own, possess, purchase, receive, or attempt to receive a
firearm or ammunition while the protective order is in effect.
(2) The court shall order a person subject to a protective order
issued under this section to relinquish any firearms he or she owns
or possesses pursuant to Section 527.9 of the Code of Civil
Procedure.
(3) Every person who owns, possesses, purchases, or receives, or
attempts to purchase or receive a firearm or ammunition while subject
to a protective order issued under this section is punishable
pursuant to Section 29825 of the Penal Code.
(4) This subdivision does not apply in a case in which a
protective order issued under this section was made solely on the
basis of financial abuse unaccompanied by force, threat, harassment,
intimidation, or any other form of abuse.
(u) Any willful disobedience of any temporary restraining order or
restraining order after hearing granted under this section is
punishable pursuant to Section 273.6 of the Penal Code.
(v) This section does not apply to any action or proceeding
governed by Title 1.6C (commencing with Section 1788) of Part 4 of
Division 3 of the Civil Code, Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 525)
of Title 7 of Part 2 of the Code of Civil Procedure, or Division 10
(commencing with Section 6200) of the Family Code. Nothing in this
section shall preclude a petitioner's right to use other existing
civil remedies.
(w) The Judicial Council shall develop forms, instructions, and
rules relating to matters governed by this section. The petition and
response forms shall be simple and concise, and their use by parties
in actions brought pursuant to this section shall be mandatory.
(x) This section shall become inoperative on July 1, 2016, and, as
of January 1, 2017, is repealed, unless a later enacted statute,
that becomes operative on or before January 1, 2017, deletes or
extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and is repealed.
SEC. 3.2. Section 15657.03 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is
amended to read:
15657.03. (a) (1) An elder or dependent adult who has suffered
abuse, as defined in Section 15610.07, may seek protective orders as
provided in this section.
(2) A petition may be brought on behalf of an abused elder or
dependent adult by a conservator or a trustee of the elder or
dependent adult, an attorney-in-fact of an elder or dependent adult
who acts within the authority of a power of attorney, a person
appointed as a guardian ad litem for the elder or dependent adult, or
other person legally authorized to seek such relief.
(b) For the purposes of this section:
(1) "Conservator" means the legally appointed conservator of the
person or estate of the petitioner, or both.
(2) "Petitioner" means the elder or dependent adult to be
protected by the protective orders and, if the court grants the
petition, the protected person.
(3) "Protective order" means an order that includes any of the
following restraining orders, whether issued ex parte, after notice
and hearing, or in a judgment:
(A) An order enjoining a party from abusing, intimidating,
molesting, attacking, striking, stalking, threatening, sexually
assaulting, battering, harassing, telephoning, including, but not
limited to, making annoying telephone calls as described in Section
653m of the Penal Code, destroying personal property, contacting,
either directly or indirectly, by mail or otherwise, or coming within
a specified distance of, or disturbing the peace of, the petitioner,
and, in the discretion of the court, on a showing of good cause, of
other named family or household members or a conservator, if any, of
the petitioner.
(B) An order excluding a party from the petitioner's residence or
dwelling, except that this order shall not be issued if legal or
equitable title to, or lease of, the residence or dwelling is in the
sole name of the party to be excluded, or is in the name of the party
to be excluded and any other party besides the petitioner.
(C) An order enjoining a party from specified behavior that the
court determines is necessary to effectuate orders described in
subparagraph (A) or (B).
(4) "Respondent" means the person against whom the protective
orders are sought and, if the petition is granted, the restrained
person.
(c) An order may be issued under this section, with or without
notice, to restrain any person for the purpose of preventing a
recurrence of abuse, if a declaration shows, to the satisfaction of
the court, reasonable proof of a past act or acts of abuse of the
petitioning elder or dependent adult.
(d) Upon filing a petition for protective orders under this
section, the petitioner may obtain a temporary restraining order in
accordance with Section 527 of the Code of Civil Procedure, except to
the extent this section provides a rule that is inconsistent. The
temporary restraining order may include any of the protective orders
described in paragraph (3) of subdivision (b). However, the court may
issue an ex parte order excluding a party from the petitioner's
residence or dwelling only on a showing of all of the following:
(1) Facts sufficient for the court to ascertain that the party who
will stay in the dwelling has a right under color of law to
possession of the premises.
(2) That the party to be excluded has assaulted or threatens to
assault the petitioner, other named family or household member of the
petitioner, or a conservator of the petitioner.
(3) That physical or emotional harm would otherwise result to the
petitioner, other named family or household member of the petitioner,
or a conservator of the petitioner.
(e) A request for the issuance of a temporary restraining order
without notice under this section shall be granted or denied on the
same day that the petition is submitted to the court, unless the
petition is filed too late in the day to permit effective review, in
which case the order shall be granted or denied on the next day of
judicial business in sufficient time for the order to be filed that
day with the clerk of the court.
(f) Within 21 days, or, if good cause appears to the court, 25
days, from the date that a request for a temporary restraining order
is granted or denied, a hearing shall be held on the petition. If no
request for temporary orders is made, the hearing shall be held
within 21 days, or, if good cause appears to the court, 25 days, from
the date that the petition is filed.
(g) The respondent may file a response that explains or denies the
alleged abuse.
(h) The court may issue, upon notice and a hearing, any of the
orders set forth in paragraph (3) of subdivision (b). The court may
issue, after notice and hearing, an order excluding a person from a
residence or dwelling if the court finds that physical or emotional
harm would otherwise result to the petitioner, other named family or
household member of the petitioner, or conservator of the petitioner.
(i) (1) In the discretion of the court, an order issued after
notice and a hearing under this section may have a duration of not
more than five years, subject to termination or modification by
further order of the court either on written stipulation filed with
the court or on the motion of a party. These orders may be renewed
upon the request of a party, either for five years or permanently,
without a showing of any further abuse since the issuance of the
original order, subject to termination or modification by further
order of the court either on written stipulation filed with the court
or on the motion of a party. The request for renewal may be brought
at any time within the three months before the expiration of the
order.
(2) The failure to state the expiration date on the face of the
form creates an order with a duration of three years from the date of
issuance.
(3) If an action is filed for the purpose of terminating or
modifying a protective order prior to the expiration date specified
in the order by a party other than the protected party, the party who
is protected by the order shall be given notice, pursuant to
subdivision (b) of Section 1005 of the Code of Civil Procedure, of
the proceeding by personal service or, if the protected party has
satisfied the requirements of Chapter 3.1 (commencing with Section
6205) of Division 7 of Title 1 of the Government Code, by service on
the Secretary of State. If the party who is protected by the order
cannot be notified prior to the hearing for modification or
termination of the protective order, the court shall deny the motion
to modify or terminate the order without prejudice or continue the
hearing until the party who is protected can be properly noticed and
may, upon a showing of good cause, specify another method for service
of process that is reasonably designed to afford actual notice to
the protected party. The protected party may waive his or her right
to notice if he or she is physically present in court and does not
challenge the sufficiency of the notice.
(j) In a proceeding under this section, a support person may
accompany a party in court and, if the party is not represented by an
attorney, may sit with the party at the table that is generally
reserved for the party and the party's attorney. The support person
is present to provide moral and emotional support for a person who
alleges he or she is a victim of abuse. The support person is not
present as a legal adviser and may not provide legal advice. The
support person may assist the person who alleges he or she is a
victim of abuse in feeling more confident that he or she will not be
injured or threatened by the other party during the proceedings if
the person who alleges he or she is a victim of abuse and the other
party are required to be present in close proximity. This subdivision
does not preclude the court from exercising its discretion to remove
the support person from the courtroom if the court believes the
support person is prompting, swaying, or influencing the party
assisted by the support person.
(k) Upon the filing of a petition for protective orders under this
section, the respondent shall be personally served with a copy of
the petition, notice of the hearing or order to show cause, temporary
restraining order, if any, and any declarations in support of the
petition. Service shall be made at least five days before the
hearing. The court may, on motion of the petitioner or on its own
motion, shorten the time for service on the respondent.
(l) A notice of hearing under this section shall notify the
respondent that if he or she does not attend the hearing, the court
may make orders against him or her that could last up to five years.
(m) The respondent shall be entitled, as a matter of course, to
one continuance, for a reasonable period, to respond to the petition.
(n) (1) Either party may request a continuance of the hearing,
which the court shall grant on a showing of good cause. The request
may be made in writing before or at the hearing or orally at the
hearing. The court may also grant a continuance on its own motion.
(2) If the court grants a continuance, any temporary restraining
order that has been granted shall remain in effect until the end of
the continued hearing, unless otherwise ordered by the court. In
granting a continuance, the court may modify or terminate a temporary
restraining order.
(o) (1) If a respondent, named in an order issued under this
section after a hearing, has not been served personally with the
order but has received actual notice of the existence and substance
of the order through personal appearance in court to hear the terms
of the order from the court, no additional proof of service is
required for enforcement of the order.
(2) If the respondent named in a temporary restraining order is
personally served with the order and notice of hearing with respect
to a restraining order or protective order based on the temporary
restraining order, but the respondent does not appear at the hearing,
either personally or by an attorney, and the terms and conditions of
the restraining order or protective order issued at the hearing are
identical to the temporary restraining order, except for the duration
of the order, then the restraining order or protective order issued
at the hearing may be served on the respondent by first-class mail
sent to the respondent at the most current address for the respondent
that is available to the court.
(3) The Judicial Council form for temporary orders issued pursuant
to this subdivision shall contain a statement in substantially the
following form:
"If you have been personally served with a temporary restraining
order and notice of hearing, but you do not appear at the hearing
either in person or by a lawyer, and a restraining order that is the
same as this temporary restraining order except for the expiration
date is issued at the hearing, a copy of the order will be served on
you by mail at the following address: ____.
If that address is not correct or you wish to verify that the
temporary restraining order was converted to a restraining order at
the hearing without substantive change and to find out the duration
of that order, contact the clerk of the court."
(p) (1) Information on a protective order relating to elder or
dependent adult abuse issued by a court pursuant to this section
shall be transmitted to the Department of Justice in accordance with
either paragraph (2) or (3).
(2) The court shall order the petitioner or the attorney for the
petitioner to deliver a copy of an order issued under this section,
or a reissuance, extension, modification, or termination of the
order, and any subsequent proof of service, by the close of the
business day on which the order, reissuance, extension, modification,
or termination was made, to each law enforcement agency having
jurisdiction over the residence of the petitioner, and to any
additional law enforcement agencies within the court's discretion as
are requested by the petitioner.
(3) Alternatively, the court or its designee shall transmit,
within one business day, to law enforcement personnel all information
required under subdivision (b) of Section 6380 of the Family Code
regarding any order issued under this section, or a reissuance,
extension, modification, or termination of the order, and any
subsequent proof of service, by either one of the following methods:
(A) Transmitting a physical copy of the order or proof of service
to a local law enforcement agency authorized by the Department of
Justice to enter orders into the California Law Enforcement
Telecommunications System (CLETS).
(B) With the approval of the Department of Justice, entering the
order or proof of service into CLETS directly.
(4) Each appropriate law enforcement agency shall make available
information as to the existence and current status of these orders to
law enforcement officers responding to the scene of reported abuse.
(5) An order issued under this section shall, on request of the
petitioner, be served on the respondent, whether or not the
respondent has been taken into custody, by any law enforcement
officer who is present at the scene of reported abuse involving the
parties to the proceeding. The petitioner shall provide the officer
with an endorsed copy of the order and a proof of service, which the
officer shall complete and send to the issuing court.
(6) Upon receiving information at the scene of an incident of
abuse that a protective order has been issued under this section, or
that a person who has been taken into custody is the respondent to
that order, if the protected person cannot produce an endorsed copy
of the order, a law enforcement officer shall immediately attempt to
verify the existence of the order.
(7) If the law enforcement officer determines that a protective
order has been issued, but not served, the officer shall immediately
notify the respondent of the terms of the order and where a written
copy of the order can be obtained, and the officer shall at that time
also enforce the order. The law enforcement officer's verbal notice
of the terms of the order shall constitute service of the order and
is sufficient notice for the purposes of this section and for the
purposes of Section 273.6 of the Penal Code.
(q) Nothing in this section shall preclude either party from
representation by private counsel or from appearing on the party's
own behalf.
(r) There is no filing fee for a petition, response, or paper
seeking the reissuance, modification, or enforcement of a protective
order filed in a proceeding brought pursuant to this section.
(s) Pursuant to paragraph (4) of subdivision (b) of Section 6103.2
of the Government Code, a petitioner shall not be required to pay a
fee for law enforcement to serve an order issued under this section.
(t) The prevailing party in an action brought under this section
may be awarded court costs and attorney's fees, if any.
(u) (1) A person subject to a protective order under this section
shall not own, possess, purchase, receive, or attempt to receive a
firearm or ammunition while the protective order is in effect.
(2) The court shall order a person subject to a protective order
issued under this section to relinquish any firearms he or she owns
or possesses pursuant to Section 527.9 of the Code of Civil
Procedure.
(3) Every person who owns, possesses, purchases, or receives, or
attempts to purchase or receive a firearm or ammunition while subject
to a protective order issued under this section is punishable
pursuant to Section 29825 of the Penal Code.
(4) This subdivision does not apply in a case in which a
protective order issued under this section was made solely on the
basis of financial abuse unaccompanied by force, threat, harassment,
intimidation, or any other form of abuse.
(v) Any willful disobedience of any temporary restraining order or
restraining order after hearing granted under this section is
punishable pursuant to Section 273.6 of the Penal Code.
(w) This section does not apply to any action or proceeding
governed by Title 1.6C (commencing with Section 1788) of Part 4 of
Division 3 of the Civil Code, Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 525)
of Title 7 of Part 2 of the Code of Civil Procedure, or Division 10
(commencing with Section 6200) of the Family Code. Nothing in this
section shall preclude a petitioner's right to use other existing
civil remedies.
(x) The Judicial Council shall develop forms, instructions, and
rules relating to matters governed by this section. The petition and
response forms shall be simple and concise, and their use by parties
in actions brought pursuant to this section shall be mandatory.
(y) This section shall become inoperative on July 1, 2016, and, as
of January 1, 2017, is repealed, unless a later enacted statute,
that becomes operative on or before January 1, 2017, deletes or
extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and is repealed.
SEC. 3.3. Section 15657.03 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is
amended to read:
15657.03. (a) (1) An elder or dependent adult who has suffered
abuse, as defined in Section 15610.07, may seek protective orders as
provided in this section.
(2) A petition may be brought on behalf of an abused elder or
dependent adult by a conservator or a trustee of the elder or
dependent adult, an attorney-in-fact of an elder or dependent adult
who acts within the authority of a power of attorney, a person
appointed as a guardian ad litem for the elder or dependent adult, or
other person legally authorized to seek such relief.
(b) For the purposes of this section:
(1) "Conservator" means the legally appointed conservator of the
person or estate of the petitioner, or both.
(2) "Petitioner" means the elder or dependent adult to be
protected by the protective orders and, if the court grants the
petition, the protected person.
(3) "Protective order" means an order that includes any of the
following restraining orders, whether issued ex parte, after notice
and hearing, or in a
judgment:
(A) An order enjoining a party from abusing, intimidating,
molesting, attacking, striking, stalking, threatening, sexually
assaulting, battering, harassing, telephoning, including, but not
limited to, making annoying telephone calls as described in Section
653m of the Penal Code, destroying personal property, contacting,
either directly or indirectly, by mail or otherwise, or coming within
a specified distance of, or disturbing the peace of, the petitioner,
and, in the discretion of the court, on a showing of good cause, of
other named family or household members or a conservator, if any, of
the petitioner. On a showing of good cause, in an order issued
pursuant to this subparagraph in connection with an animal owned,
possessed, leased, kept, or held by the petitioner, or residing in
the residence or household of the petitioner, the court may do either
or both of the following:
(i) Grant the petitioner exclusive care, possession, or control of
the animal.
(ii) Order the respondent to stay away from the animal and refrain
from taking, transferring, encumbering, concealing, molesting,
attacking, striking, threatening, harming, or otherwise disposing of
the animal.
(B) An order excluding a party from the petitioner's residence or
dwelling, except that this order shall not be issued if legal or
equitable title to, or lease of, the residence or dwelling is in the
sole name of the party to be excluded, or is in the name of the party
to be excluded and any other party besides the petitioner.
(C) An order enjoining a party from specified behavior that the
court determines is necessary to effectuate orders described in
subparagraph (A) or (B).
(4) "Respondent" means the person against whom the protective
orders are sought and, if the petition is granted, the restrained
person.
(c) An order may be issued under this section, with or without
notice, to restrain any person for the purpose of preventing a
recurrence of abuse, if a declaration shows, to the satisfaction of
the court, reasonable proof of a past act or acts of abuse of the
petitioning elder or dependent adult.
(d) Upon filing a petition for protective orders under this
section, the petitioner may obtain a temporary restraining order in
accordance with Section 527 of the Code of Civil Procedure, except to
the extent this section provides a rule that is inconsistent. The
temporary restraining order may include any of the protective orders
described in paragraph (3) of subdivision (b). However, the court may
issue an ex parte order excluding a party from the petitioner's
residence or dwelling only on a showing of all of the following:
(1) Facts sufficient for the court to ascertain that the party who
will stay in the dwelling has a right under color of law to
possession of the premises.
(2) That the party to be excluded has assaulted or threatens to
assault the petitioner, other named family or household member of the
petitioner, or a conservator of the petitioner.
(3) That physical or emotional harm would otherwise result to the
petitioner, other named family or household member of the petitioner,
or a conservator of the petitioner.
(e) A request for the issuance of a temporary restraining order
without notice under this section shall be granted or denied on the
same day that the petition is submitted to the court, unless the
petition is filed too late in the day to permit effective review, in
which case the order shall be granted or denied on the next day of
judicial business in sufficient time for the order to be filed that
day with the clerk of the court.
(f) Within 21 days, or, if good cause appears to the court, 25
days, from the date that a request for a temporary restraining order
is granted or denied, a hearing shall be held on the petition. If no
request for temporary orders is made, the hearing shall be held
within 21 days, or, if good cause appears to the court, 25 days, from
the date that the petition is filed.
(g) The respondent may file a response that explains or denies the
alleged abuse.
(h) The court may issue, upon notice and a hearing, any of the
orders set forth in paragraph (3) of subdivision (b). The court may
issue, after notice and hearing, an order excluding a person from a
residence or dwelling if the court finds that physical or emotional
harm would otherwise result to the petitioner, other named family or
household member of the petitioner, or conservator of the petitioner.
(i) (1) In the discretion of the court, an order issued after
notice and a hearing under this section may have a duration of not
more than five years, subject to termination or modification by
further order of the court either on written stipulation filed with
the court or on the motion of a party. These orders may be renewed
upon the request of a party, either for five years or permanently,
without a showing of any further abuse since the issuance of the
original order, subject to termination or modification by further
order of the court either on written stipulation filed with the court
or on the motion of a party. The request for renewal may be brought
at any time within the three months before the expiration of the
order.
(2) The failure to state the expiration date on the face of the
form creates an order with a duration of three years from the date of
issuance.
(3) If an action is filed for the purpose of terminating or
modifying a protective order prior to the expiration date specified
in the order by a party other than the protected party, the party who
is protected by the order shall be given notice, pursuant to
subdivision (b) of Section 1005 of the Code of Civil Procedure, of
the proceeding by personal service or, if the protected party has
satisfied the requirements of Chapter 3.1 (commencing with Section
6205) of Division 7 of Title 1 of the Government Code, by service on
the Secretary of State. If the party who is protected by the order
cannot be notified prior to the hearing for modification or
termination of the protective order, the court shall deny the motion
to modify or terminate the order without prejudice or continue the
hearing until the party who is protected can be properly noticed and
may, upon a showing of good cause, specify another method for service
of process that is reasonably designed to afford actual notice to
the protected party. The protected party may waive his or her right
to notice if he or she is physically present in court and does not
challenge the sufficiency of the notice.
(j) In a proceeding under this section, a support person may
accompany a party in court and, if the party is not represented by an
attorney, may sit with the party at the table that is generally
reserved for the party and the party's attorney. The support person
is present to provide moral and emotional support for a person who
alleges he or she is a victim of abuse. The support person is not
present as a legal adviser and may not provide legal advice. The
support person may assist the person who alleges he or she is a
victim of abuse in feeling more confident that he or she will not be
injured or threatened by the other party during the proceedings if
the person who alleges he or she is a victim of abuse and the other
party are required to be present in close proximity. This subdivision
does not preclude the court from exercising its discretion to remove
the support person from the courtroom if the court believes the
support person is prompting, swaying, or influencing the party
assisted by the support person.
(k) Upon the filing of a petition for protective orders under this
section, the respondent shall be personally served with a copy of
the petition, notice of the hearing or order to show cause, temporary
restraining order, if any, and any declarations in support of the
petition. Service shall be made at least five days before the
hearing. The court may, on motion of the petitioner or on its own
motion, shorten the time for service on the respondent.
(l) A notice of hearing under this section shall notify the
respondent that if he or she does not attend the hearing, the court
may make orders against him or her that could last up to five years.
(m) The respondent shall be entitled, as a matter of course, to
one continuance, for a reasonable period, to respond to the petition.
(n) (1) Either party may request a continuance of the hearing,
which the court shall grant on a showing of good cause. The request
may be made in writing before or at the hearing or orally at the
hearing. The court may also grant a continuance on its own motion.
(2) If the court grants a continuance, any temporary restraining
order that has been granted shall remain in effect until the end of
the continued hearing, unless otherwise ordered by the court. In
granting a continuance, the court may modify or terminate a temporary
restraining order.
(o) (1) If a respondent, named in an order issued under this
section after a hearing, has not been served personally with the
order but has received actual notice of the existence and substance
of the order through personal appearance in court to hear the terms
of the order from the court, no additional proof of service is
required for enforcement of the order.
(2) If the respondent named in a temporary restraining order is
personally served with the order and notice of hearing with respect
to a restraining order or protective order based on the temporary
restraining order, but the respondent does not appear at the hearing,
either personally or by an attorney, and the terms and conditions of
the restraining order or protective order issued at the hearing are
identical to the temporary restraining order, except for the duration
of the order, then the restraining order or protective order issued
at the hearing may be served on the respondent by first-class mail
sent to the respondent at the most current address for the respondent
that is available to the court.
(3) The Judicial Council form for temporary orders issued pursuant
to this subdivision shall contain a statement in substantially the
following form:
"If you have been personally served with a temporary restraining
order and notice of hearing, but you do not appear at the hearing
either in person or by a lawyer, and a restraining order that is the
same as this temporary restraining order except for the expiration
date is issued at the hearing, a copy of the order will be served on
you by mail at the following address: ____.
If that address is not correct or you wish to verify that the
temporary restraining order was converted to a restraining order at
the hearing without substantive change and to find out the duration
of that order, contact the clerk of the court."
(p) (1) Information on a protective order relating to elder or
dependent adult abuse issued by a court pursuant to this section
shall be transmitted to the Department of Justice in accordance with
either paragraph (2) or (3).
(2) The court shall order the petitioner or the attorney for the
petitioner to deliver a copy of an order issued under this section,
or a reissuance, extension, modification, or termination of the
order, and any subsequent proof of service, by the close of the
business day on which the order, reissuance, extension, modification,
or termination was made, to each law enforcement agency having
jurisdiction over the residence of the petitioner, and to any
additional law enforcement agencies within the court's discretion as
are requested by the petitioner.
(3) Alternatively, the court or its designee shall transmit,
within one business day, to law enforcement personnel all information
required under subdivision (b) of Section 6380 of the Family Code
regarding any order issued under this section, or a reissuance,
extension, modification, or termination of the order, and any
subsequent proof of service, by either one of the following methods:
(A) Transmitting a physical copy of the order or proof of service
to a local law enforcement agency authorized by the Department of
Justice to enter orders into the California Law Enforcement
Telecommunications System (CLETS).
(B) With the approval of the Department of Justice, entering the
order or proof of service into CLETS directly.
(4) Each appropriate law enforcement agency shall make available
information as to the existence and current status of these orders to
law enforcement officers responding to the scene of reported abuse.
(5) An order issued under this section shall, on request of the
petitioner, be served on the respondent, whether or not the
respondent has been taken into custody, by any law enforcement
officer who is present at the scene of reported abuse involving the
parties to the proceeding. The petitioner shall provide the officer
with an endorsed copy of the order and a proof of service, which the
officer shall complete and send to the issuing court.
(6) Upon receiving information at the scene of an incident of
abuse that a protective order has been issued under this section, or
that a person who has been taken into custody is the respondent to
that order, if the protected person cannot produce an endorsed copy
of the order, a law enforcement officer shall immediately attempt to
verify the existence of the order.
(7) If the law enforcement officer determines that a protective
order has been issued, but not served, the officer shall immediately
notify the respondent of the terms of the order and where a written
copy of the order can be obtained, and the officer shall at that time
also enforce the order. The law enforcement officer's verbal notice
of the terms of the order shall constitute service of the order and
is sufficient notice for the purposes of this section and for the
purposes of Section 273.6 of the Penal Code.
(q) Nothing in this section shall preclude either party from
representation by private counsel or from appearing on the party's
own behalf.
(r) There is no filing fee for a petition, response, or paper
seeking the reissuance, modification, or enforcement of a protective
order filed in a proceeding brought pursuant to this section.
(s) Pursuant to paragraph (4) of subdivision (b) of Section 6103.2
of the Government Code, a petitioner shall not be required to pay a
fee for law enforcement to serve an order issued under this section.
(t) The prevailing party in an action brought under this section
may be awarded court costs and attorney's fees, if any.
(u) (1) A person subject to a protective order under this section
shall not own, possess, purchase, receive, or attempt to receive a
firearm or ammunition while the protective order is in effect.
(2) The court shall order a person subject to a protective order
issued under this section to relinquish any firearms he or she owns
or possesses pursuant to Section 527.9 of the Code of Civil
Procedure.
(3) Every person who owns, possesses, purchases, or receives, or
attempts to purchase or receive a firearm or ammunition while subject
to a protective order issued under this section is punishable
pursuant to Section 29825 of the Penal Code.
(4) This subdivision does not apply in a case in which a
protective order issued under this section was made solely on the
basis of financial abuse unaccompanied by force, threat, harassment,
intimidation, or any other form of abuse.
(v) Any willful disobedience of any temporary restraining order or
restraining order after hearing granted under this section is
punishable pursuant to Section 273.6 of the Penal Code.
(w) This section does not apply to any action or proceeding
governed by Title 1.6C (commencing with Section 1788) of Part 4 of
Division 3 of the Civil Code, Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 525)
of Title 7 of Part 2 of the Code of Civil Procedure, or Division 10
(commencing with Section 6200) of the Family Code. Nothing in this
section shall preclude a petitioner's right to use other existing
civil remedies.
(x) The Judicial Council shall develop forms, instructions, and
rules relating to matters governed by this section. The petition and
response forms shall be simple and concise, and their use by parties
in actions brought pursuant to this section shall be mandatory.
(y) This section shall become inoperative on July 1, 2016, and, as
of January 1, 2017, is repealed, unless a later enacted statute,
that becomes operative on or before January 1, 2017, deletes or
extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and is repealed.
SEC. 4. Section 15657.03 is added to the Welfare and Institutions
Code, to read:
15657.03. (a) (1) An elder or dependent adult who has suffered
abuse may seek protective orders as provided in this section.
(2) A petition may be brought on behalf of an abused elder or
dependent adult by a conservator or a trustee of the elder or
dependent adult, an attorney-in-fact of an elder or dependent adult
who acts within the authority of the power of attorney, a person
appointed as a guardian ad litem for the elder or dependent adult, or
other person legally authorized to seek the relief.
(3) (A) A petition under this section may be brought on behalf of
an elder or dependent adult by a county adult protective services
agency in either of the following circumstances:
(i) If the elder or dependent adult has suffered abuse as defined
in subdivision (b) and has an impaired ability to appreciate and
understand the circumstances that place him or her at risk of harm.
(ii) If the elder or dependent adult has provided written
authorization to a county adult protective services agency to act on
his or her behalf.
(B) In the case of a petition filed pursuant to clause (i) of
subparagraph (A) by a county adult protective services agency, a
referral shall be made to the public guardian consistent with Section
2920 of the Probate Code prior to or concurrent with the filing of
the petition, unless a petition for appointment of a conservator has
already been filed with the probate court by the public guardian or
another party.
(C) A county adult protective services agency shall be subject to
any confidentiality restrictions that otherwise apply to its
activities under law and shall disclose only those facts as necessary
to establish reasonable cause for the filing of the petition,
including, in the case of a petition filed pursuant to clause (i) of
subparagraph (A), to establish the agency's belief that the elder or
dependent adult has suffered abuse and has an impaired ability to
appreciate and understand the circumstances that place him or her at
risk, and as may be requested by the court in determining whether to
issue an order under this section.
(b) For the purposes of this section:
(1) "Abuse" has the meaning set forth in Section 15610.07.
(2) "Conservator" means the legally appointed conservator of the
person or estate of the petitioner, or both.
(3) "Petitioner" means the elder or dependent adult to be
protected by the protective orders and, if the court grants the
petition, the protected person.
(4) "Protective order" means an order that includes any of the
following restraining orders, whether issued ex parte, after notice
and hearing, or in a judgment:
(A) An order enjoining a party from abusing, intimidating,
molesting, attacking, striking, stalking, threatening, sexually
assaulting, battering, harassing, telephoning, including, but not
limited to, making annoying telephone calls as described in Section
653m of the Penal Code, destroying personal property, contacting,
either directly or indirectly, by mail or otherwise, or coming within
a specified distance of, or disturbing the peace of, the petitioner,
and, in the discretion of the court, on a showing of good cause, of
other named family or household members or a conservator, if any, of
the petitioner.
(B) An order excluding a party from the petitioner's residence or
dwelling, except that this order shall not be issued if legal or
equitable title to, or lease of, the residence or dwelling is in the
sole name of the party to be excluded, or is in the name of the party
to be excluded and any other party besides the petitioner.
(C) An order enjoining a party from specified behavior that the
court determines is necessary to effectuate orders described in
subparagraph (A) or (B).
(5) "Respondent" means the person against whom the protective
orders are sought and, if the petition is granted, the restrained
person.
(c) An order may be issued under this section, with or without
notice, to restrain any person for the purpose of preventing a
recurrence of abuse, if a declaration shows, to the satisfaction of
the court, reasonable proof of a past act or acts of abuse of the
petitioning elder or dependent adult.
(d) Upon filing a petition for protective orders under this
section, the petitioner may obtain a temporary restraining order in
accordance with Section 527 of the Code of Civil Procedure, except to
the extent this section provides a rule that is inconsistent. The
temporary restraining order may include any of the protective orders
described in paragraph (4) of subdivision (b). However, the court may
issue an ex parte order excluding a party from the petitioner's
residence or dwelling only on a showing of all of the following:
(1) Facts sufficient for the court to ascertain that the party who
will stay in the dwelling has a right under color of law to
possession of the premises.
(2) That the party to be excluded has assaulted or threatens to
assault the petitioner, other named family or household member of the
petitioner, or a conservator of the petitioner.
(3) That physical or emotional harm would otherwise result to the
petitioner, other named family or household member of the petitioner,
or a conservator of the petitioner.
(e) A request for the issuance of a temporary restraining order
without notice under this section shall be granted or denied on the
same day that the petition is submitted to the court, unless the
petition is filed too late in the day to permit effective review, in
which case the order shall be granted or denied on the next day of
judicial business in sufficient time for the order to be filed that
day with the clerk of the court.
(f) Within 21 days, or, if good cause appears to the court, 25
days, from the date that a request for a temporary restraining order
is granted or denied, a hearing shall be held on the petition. If no
request for temporary orders is made, the hearing shall be held
within 21 days, or, if good cause appears to the court, 25 days, from
the date that the petition is filed.
(g) The respondent may file a response that explains or denies the
alleged abuse.
(h) The court may issue, upon notice and a hearing, any of the
orders set forth in paragraph (4) of subdivision (b). The court may
issue, after notice and hearing, an order excluding a person from a
residence or dwelling if the court finds that physical or emotional
harm would otherwise result to the petitioner, other named family or
household member of the petitioner, or conservator of the petitioner.
(i) (1) In the discretion of the court, an order issued after
notice and a hearing under this section may have a duration of not
more than five years, subject to termination or modification by
further order of the court either on written stipulation filed with
the court or on the motion of a party. These orders may be renewed
upon the request of a party, either for five years or permanently,
without a showing of any further abuse since the issuance of the
original order, subject to termination or modification by further
order of the court either on written stipulation filed with the court
or on the motion of a party. The request for renewal may be brought
at any time within the three months before the expiration of the
order.
(2) The failure to state the expiration date on the face of the
form creates an order with a duration of three years from the date of
issuance.
(3) If an action is filed for the purpose of terminating or
modifying a protective order prior to the expiration date specified
in the order by a party other than the protected party, the party who
is protected by the order shall be given notice, pursuant to
subdivision (b) of Section 1005 of the Code of Civil Procedure, of
the proceeding by personal service or, if the protected party has
satisfied the requirements of Chapter 3.1 (commencing with Section
6205) of Division 7 of Title 1 of the Government Code, by service on
the Secretary of State. If the party who is protected by the order
cannot be notified prior to the hearing for modification or
termination of the protective order, the court shall deny the motion
to modify or terminate the order without prejudice or continue the
hearing until the party who is protected can be properly noticed and
may, upon a showing of good cause, specify another method for service
of process that is reasonably designed to afford actual notice to
the protected party. The protected party may waive his or her right
to notice if he or she is physically present in court and does not
challenge the sufficiency of the notice.
(j) In a proceeding under this section, a support person may
accompany a party in court and, if the party is not represented by an
attorney, may sit with the party at the table that is generally
reserved for the party and the party's attorney. The support person
is present to provide moral and emotional support for a person who
alleges he or she is a victim of abuse. The support person is not
present as a legal adviser and may not provide legal advice. The
support person may assist the person who alleges he or she is a
victim of abuse in feeling more confident that he or she will not be
injured or threatened by the other party during the proceedings if
the person who alleges he or she is a victim of abuse and the other
party are required to be present in close proximity. This subdivision
does not preclude the court from exercising its discretion to remove
the support person from the courtroom if the court believes the
support person is prompting, swaying, or influencing the party
assisted by the support person.
(k) Upon the filing of a petition for protective orders under this
section, the respondent shall be personally served with a copy of
the petition, notice of the hearing or order to show cause, temporary
restraining order, if any, and any declarations in support of the
petition. Service shall be made at least five days before the
hearing. The court may, on motion of the petitioner or on its own
motion, shorten the time for service on the respondent.
(l) A notice of hearing under this section shall notify the
respondent that if he or she does not attend the hearing, the court
may make orders against him
or her that could last up to five years.
(m) (1) The court may, upon the filing of a declaration by the
petitioner that the respondent could not be served within the time
required by statute, reissue an order previously issued and dissolved
by the court for failure to serve the respondent. The reissued order
shall remain in effect until the date set for the hearing.
(2) The reissued order shall state on its face the date of
expiration of the order.
(n) (1) If a respondent, named in an order issued under this
section after a hearing, has not been served personally with the
order but has received actual notice of the existence and substance
of the order through personal appearance in court to hear the terms
of the order from the court, no additional proof of service is
required for enforcement of the order.
(2) If the respondent named in a temporary restraining order is
personally served with the order and notice of hearing with respect
to a restraining order or protective order based on the temporary
restraining order, but the respondent does not appear at the hearing,
either personally or by an attorney, and the terms and conditions of
the restraining order or protective order issued at the hearing are
identical to the temporary restraining order, except for the duration
of the order, then the restraining order or protective order issued
at the hearing may be served on the respondent by first-class mail
sent to the respondent at the most current address for the respondent
that is available to the court.
(3) The Judicial Council form for temporary orders issued pursuant
to this subdivision shall contain a statement in substantially the
following form:
"If you have been personally served with a temporary restraining
order and notice of hearing, but you do not appear at the hearing
either in person or by a lawyer, and a restraining order that is the
same as this temporary restraining order except for the expiration
date is issued at the hearing, a copy of the order will be served on
you by mail at the following address: ____.
If that address is not correct or you wish to verify that the
temporary restraining order was converted to a restraining order at
the hearing without substantive change and to find out the duration
of that order, contact the clerk of the court."
(o) (1) Information on any protective order relating to elder or
dependent adult abuse issued by a court pursuant to this section
shall be transmitted to the Department of Justice in accordance with
either paragraph (2) or (3).
(2) The court shall order the petitioner or the attorney for the
petitioner to deliver a copy of an order issued under this section,
or a reissuance, extension, modification, or termination of the
order, and any subsequent proof of service, by the close of the
business day on which the order, reissuance, extension, modification,
or termination was made, to each law enforcement agency having
jurisdiction over the residence of the petitioner, and to any
additional law enforcement agencies within the court's discretion as
are requested by the petitioner.
(3) Alternatively, the court or its designee shall transmit,
within one business day, to law enforcement personnel all information
required under subdivision (b) of Section 6380 of the Family Code
regarding any order issued under this section, or a reissuance,
extension, modification, or termination of the order, and any
subsequent proof of service, by either one of the following methods:
(A) Transmitting a physical copy of the order or proof of service
to a local law enforcement agency authorized by the Department of
Justice to enter orders into the California Law Enforcement
Telecommunications System (CLETS).
(B) With the approval of the Department of Justice, entering the
order or proof of service into CLETS directly.
(4) Each appropriate law enforcement agency shall make available
information as to the existence and current status of these orders to
law enforcement officers responding to the scene of reported abuse.
(5) An order issued under this section shall, on request of the
petitioner, be served on the respondent, whether or not the
respondent has been taken into custody, by any law enforcement
officer who is present at the scene of reported abuse involving the
parties to the proceeding. The petitioner shall provide the officer
with an endorsed copy of the order and a proof of service, which the
officer shall complete and send to the issuing court.
(6) Upon receiving information at the scene of an incident of
abuse that a protective order has been issued under this section, or
that a person who has been taken into custody is the respondent to
that order, if the protected person cannot produce an endorsed copy
of the order, a law enforcement officer shall immediately attempt to
verify the existence of the order.
(7) If the law enforcement officer determines that a protective
order has been issued, but not served, the officer shall immediately
notify the respondent of the terms of the order and where a written
copy of the order can be obtained, and the officer shall at that time
also enforce the order. The law enforcement officer's verbal notice
of the terms of the order shall constitute service of the order and
is sufficient notice for the purposes of this section and for the
purposes of Section 273.6 of the Penal Code.
(p) Nothing in this section shall preclude either party from
representation by private counsel or from appearing on the party's
own behalf.
(q) There is no filing fee for a petition, response, or paper
seeking the reissuance, modification, or enforcement of a protective
order filed in a proceeding brought pursuant to this section.
(r) Pursuant to paragraph (4) of subdivision (b) of Section 6103.2
of the Government Code, a petitioner shall not be required to pay a
fee for law enforcement to serve an order issued under this section.
(s) The prevailing party in any action brought under this section
may be awarded court costs and attorney's fees, if any.
(t) (1) A person subject to a protective order under this section
shall not own, possess, purchase, receive, or attempt to receive a
firearm or ammunition while the protective order is in effect.
(2) The court shall order a person subject to a protective order
issued under this section to relinquish any firearms he or she owns
or possesses pursuant to Section 527.9 of the Code of Civil
Procedure.
(3) Every person who owns, possesses, purchases, or receives, or
attempts to purchase or receive a firearm or ammunition while subject
to a protective order issued under this section is punishable
pursuant to Section 29825 of the Penal Code.
(4) This subdivision shall not apply in a case in which the
protective order issued under this section was made solely on the
basis of financial abuse unaccompanied by force, threat, harassment,
intimidation, or any other form of abuse.
(u) In a proceeding brought under paragraph (3) of subdivision
(a), all of the following apply:
(1) Upon the filing of a petition for a protective order, the
elder or dependent adult on whose behalf the petition has been filed
shall receive a copy of the petition, a notice of the hearing, and
any declarations submitted in support of the petition. The elder or
dependent adult shall receive this information at least five days
before the hearing. The court may, on motion of the petitioner or on
its own motion, shorten the time for provision of this information to
the elder or dependent adult.
(2) The adult protective services agency shall make reasonable
efforts to assist the elder or dependent adult to attend the hearing
and provide testimony to the court, if he or she wishes to do so. If
the elder or dependent adult does not attend the hearing, the agency
shall provide information to the court at the hearing regarding the
reasons why the elder or dependent adult is not in attendance.
(3) Upon the filing of a petition for a protective order and upon
issuance of an order granting the petition, the county adult
protective services agency shall take all reasonable steps to provide
for the safety of the elder or dependent adult, pursuant to Chapter
13 (commencing with Section 15750), which may include, but are not
limited to, facilitating the location of alternative accommodations
for the elder or dependent adult, if needed.
(v) Any willful disobedience of any temporary restraining order or
restraining order after hearing granted under this section is
punishable pursuant to Section 273.6 of the Penal Code.
(w) This section does not apply to any action or proceeding
governed by Title 1.6C (commencing with Section 1788) of Part 4 of
Division 3 of the Civil Code, Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 525)
of Title 7 of Part 2 of the Code of Civil Procedure, or Division 10
(commencing with Section 6200) of the Family Code. Nothing in this
section shall preclude a petitioner's right to use other existing
civil remedies.
(x) The Judicial Council shall develop forms, instructions, and
rules relating to matters governed by this section. The petition and
response forms shall be simple and concise, and shall be used by
parties in actions brought pursuant to this section.
(y) This section shall become operative on July 1, 2016.
SEC. 4.1. Section 15657.03 is added to the Welfare and
Institutions Code, to read:
15657.03. (a) (1) An elder or dependent adult who has suffered
abuse may seek protective orders as provided in this section.
(2) A petition may be brought on behalf of an abused elder or
dependent adult by a conservator or a trustee of the elder or
dependent adult, an attorney-in-fact of an elder or dependent adult
who acts within the authority of a power of attorney, a person
appointed as a guardian ad litem for the elder or dependent adult, or
other person legally authorized to seek the relief.
(3) (A) A petition under this section may be brought on behalf of
an elder or dependent adult by a county adult protective services
agency in either of the following circumstances:
(i) If the elder or dependent adult has suffered abuse as defined
in subdivision (b) and has an impaired ability to appreciate and
understand the circumstances that place him or her at risk of harm.
(ii) If the elder or dependent adult has provided written
authorization to a county adult protective services agency to act on
his or her behalf.
(B) In the case of a petition filed pursuant to clause (i) of
subparagraph (A) by a county adult protective services agency, a
referral shall be made to the public guardian consistent with Section
2920 of the Probate Code prior to or concurrent with the filing of
the petition, unless a petition for appointment of a conservator has
already been filed with the probate court by the public guardian or
another party.
(C) A county adult protective services agency shall be subject to
any confidentiality restrictions that otherwise apply to its
activities under law and shall disclose only those facts as necessary
to establish reasonable cause for the filing of the petition,
including, in the case of a petition filed pursuant to clause (i) of
subparagraph (A), to establish the agency's belief that the elder or
dependent adult has suffered abuse and has an impaired ability to
appreciate and understand the circumstances that place him or her at
risk, and as may be requested by the court in determining whether to
issue an order under this section.
(b) For the purposes of this section:
(1) "Abuse" has the meaning set forth in Section 15610.07.
(2) "Conservator" means the legally appointed conservator of the
person or estate of the petitioner, or both.
(3) "Petitioner" means the elder or dependent adult to be
protected by the protective orders and, if the court grants the
petition, the protected person.
(4) "Protective order" means an order that includes any of the
following restraining orders, whether issued ex parte, after notice
and hearing, or in a judgment:
(A) An order enjoining a party from abusing, intimidating,
molesting, attacking, striking, stalking, threatening, sexually
assaulting, battering, harassing, telephoning, including, but not
limited to, making annoying telephone calls as described in Section
653m of the Penal Code, destroying personal property, contacting,
either directly or indirectly, by mail or otherwise, or coming within
a specified distance of, or disturbing the peace of, the petitioner,
and, in the discretion of the court, on a showing of good cause, of
other named family or household members or a conservator, if any, of
the petitioner. On a showing of good cause, in an order issued
pursuant to this subparagraph in connection with an animal owned,
possessed, leased, kept, or held by the petitioner, or residing in
the residence or household of the petitioner, the court may do either
or both of the following:
(i) Grant the petitioner exclusive care, possession, or control of
the animal.
(ii) Order the respondent to stay away from the animal and refrain
from taking, transferring, encumbering, concealing, molesting,
attacking, striking, threatening, harming, or otherwise disposing of
the animal.
(B) An order excluding a party from the petitioner's residence or
dwelling, except that this order shall not be issued if legal or
equitable title to, or lease of, the residence or dwelling is in the
sole name of the party to be excluded, or is in the name of the party
to be excluded and any other party besides the petitioner.
(C) An order enjoining a party from specified behavior that the
court determines is necessary to effectuate orders described in
subparagraph (A) or (B).
(5) "Respondent" means the person against whom the protective
orders are sought and, if the petition is granted, the restrained
person.
(c) An order may be issued under this section, with or without
notice, to restrain any person for the purpose of preventing a
recurrence of abuse, if a declaration shows, to the satisfaction of
the court, reasonable proof of a past act or acts of abuse of the
petitioning elder or dependent adult.
(d) Upon filing a petition for protective orders under this
section, the petitioner may obtain a temporary restraining order in
accordance with Section 527 of the Code of Civil Procedure, except to
the extent this section provides a rule that is inconsistent. The
temporary restraining order may include any of the protective orders
described in paragraph (4) of subdivision (b). However, the court may
issue an ex parte order excluding a party from the petitioner's
residence or dwelling only on a showing of all of the following:
(1) Facts sufficient for the court to ascertain that the party who
will stay in the dwelling has a right under color of law to
possession of the premises.
(2) That the party to be excluded has assaulted or threatens to
assault the petitioner, other named family or household member of the
petitioner, or a conservator of the petitioner.
(3) That physical or emotional harm would otherwise result to the
petitioner, other named family or household member of the petitioner,
or a conservator of the petitioner.
(e) A request for the issuance of a temporary restraining order
without notice under this section shall be granted or denied on the
same day that the petition is submitted to the court, unless the
petition is filed too late in the day to permit effective review, in
which case the order shall be granted or denied on the next day of
judicial business in sufficient time for the order to be filed that
day with the clerk of the court.
(f) Within 21 days, or, if good cause appears to the court, 25
days, from the date that a request for a temporary restraining order
is granted or denied, a hearing shall be held on the petition. If no
request for temporary orders is made, the hearing shall be held
within 21 days, or, if good cause appears to the court, 25 days, from
the date that the petition is filed.
(g) The respondent may file a response that explains or denies the
alleged abuse.
(h) The court may issue, upon notice and a hearing, any of the
orders set forth in paragraph (4) of subdivision (b). The court may
issue, after notice and hearing, an order excluding a person from a
residence or dwelling if the court finds that physical or emotional
harm would otherwise result to the petitioner, other named family or
household member of the petitioner, or conservator of the petitioner.
(i) (1) In the discretion of the court, an order issued after
notice and a hearing under this section may have a duration of not
more than five years, subject to termination or modification by
further order of the court either on written stipulation filed with
the court or on the motion of a party. These orders may be renewed
upon the request of a party, either for five years or permanently,
without a showing of any further abuse since the issuance of the
original order, subject to termination or modification by further
order of the court either on written stipulation filed with the court
or on the motion of a party. The request for renewal may be brought
at any time within the three months before the expiration of the
order.
(2) The failure to state the expiration date on the face of the
form creates an order with a duration of three years from the date of
issuance.
(3) If an action is filed for the purpose of terminating or
modifying a protective order prior to the expiration date specified
in the order by a party other than the protected party, the party who
is protected by the order shall be given notice, pursuant to
subdivision (b) of Section 1005 of the Code of Civil Procedure, of
the proceeding by personal service or, if the protected party has
satisfied the requirements of Chapter 3.1 (commencing with Section
6205) of Division 7 of Title 1 of the Government Code, by service on
the Secretary of State. If the party who is protected by the order
cannot be notified prior to the hearing for modification or
termination of the protective order, the court shall deny the motion
to modify or terminate the order without prejudice or continue the
hearing until the party who is protected can be properly noticed and
may, upon a showing of good cause, specify another method for service
of process that is reasonably designed to afford actual notice to
the protected party. The protected party may waive his or her right
to notice if he or she is physically present in court and does not
challenge the sufficiency of the notice.
(j) In a proceeding under this section, a support person may
accompany a party in court and, if the party is not represented by an
attorney, may sit with the party at the table that is generally
reserved for the party and the party's attorney. The support person
is present to provide moral and emotional support for a person who
alleges he or she is a victim of abuse. The support person is not
present as a legal adviser and may not provide legal advice. The
support person may assist the person who alleges he or she is a
victim of abuse in feeling more confident that he or she will not be
injured or threatened by the other party during the proceedings if
the person who alleges he or she is a victim of abuse and the other
party are required to be present in close proximity. This subdivision
does not preclude the court from exercising its discretion to remove
the support person from the courtroom if the court believes the
support person is prompting, swaying, or influencing the party
assisted by the support person.
(k) Upon the filing of a petition for protective orders under this
section, the respondent shall be personally served with a copy of
the petition, notice of the hearing or order to show cause, temporary
restraining order, if any, and any declarations in support of the
petition. Service shall be made at least five days before the
hearing. The court may, on motion of the petitioner or on its own
motion, shorten the time for service on the respondent.
(l) A notice of hearing under this section shall notify the
respondent that if he or she does not attend the hearing, the court
may make orders against him or her that could last up to five years.
(m) (1) The court may, upon the filing of a declaration by the
petitioner that the respondent could not be served within the time
required by statute, reissue an order previously issued and dissolved
by the court for failure to serve the respondent. The reissued order
shall remain in effect until the date set for the hearing.
(2) The reissued order shall state on its face the date of
expiration of the order.
(n) (1) If a respondent, named in an order issued under this
section after a hearing, has not been served personally with the
order but has received actual notice of the existence and substance
of the order through personal appearance in court to hear the terms
of the order from the court, no additional proof of service is
required for enforcement of the order.
(2) If the respondent named in a temporary restraining order is
personally served with the order and notice of hearing with respect
to a restraining order or protective order based on the temporary
restraining order, but the respondent does not appear at the hearing,
either personally or by an attorney, and the terms and conditions of
the restraining order or protective order issued at the hearing are
identical to the temporary restraining order, except for the duration
of the order, then the restraining order or protective order issued
at the hearing may be served on the respondent by first-class mail
sent to the respondent at the most current address for the respondent
that is available to the court.
(3) The Judicial Council form for temporary orders issued pursuant
to this subdivision shall contain a statement in substantially the
following form:
"If you have been personally served with a temporary restraining
order and notice of hearing, but you do not appear at the hearing
either in person or by a lawyer, and a restraining order that is the
same as this temporary restraining order except for the expiration
date is issued at the hearing, a copy of the order will be served on
you by mail at the following address:____.
If that address is not correct or you wish to verify that the
temporary restraining order was converted to a restraining order at
the hearing without substantive change and to find out the duration
of that order, contact the clerk of the court."
(o) (1) Information on a protective order relating to elder or
dependent adult abuse issued by a court pursuant to this section
shall be transmitted to the Department of Justice in accordance with
either paragraph (2) or (3).
(2) The court shall order the petitioner or the attorney for the
petitioner to deliver a copy of an order issued under this section,
or a reissuance, extension, modification, or termination of the
order, and any subsequent proof of service, by the close of the
business day on which the order, reissuance, extension, modification,
or termination was made, to each law enforcement agency having
jurisdiction over the residence of the petitioner, and to any
additional law enforcement agencies within the court's discretion as
are requested by the petitioner.
(3) Alternatively, the court or its designee shall transmit,
within one business day, to law enforcement personnel all information
required under subdivision (b) of Section 6380 of the Family Code
regarding any order issued under this section, or a reissuance,
extension, modification, or termination of the order, and any
subsequent proof of service, by either one of the following methods:
(A) Transmitting a physical copy of the order or proof of service
to a local law enforcement agency authorized by the Department of
Justice to enter orders into the California Law Enforcement
Telecommunications System (CLETS).
(B) With the approval of the Department of Justice, entering the
order or proof of service into CLETS directly.
(4) Each appropriate law enforcement agency shall make available
information as to the existence and current status of these orders to
law enforcement officers responding to the scene of reported abuse.
(5) An order issued under this section shall, on request of the
petitioner, be served on the respondent, whether or not the
respondent has been taken into custody, by any law enforcement
officer who is present at the scene of reported abuse involving the
parties to the proceeding. The petitioner shall provide the officer
with an endorsed copy of the order and a proof of service, which the
officer shall complete and send to the issuing court.
(6) Upon receiving information at the scene of an incident of
abuse that a protective order has been issued under this section, or
that a person who has been taken into custody is the respondent to
that order, if the protected person cannot produce an endorsed copy
of the order, a law enforcement officer shall immediately attempt to
verify the existence of the order.
(7) If the law enforcement officer determines that a protective
order has been issued, but not served, the officer shall immediately
notify the respondent of the terms of the order and where a written
copy of the order can be obtained, and the officer shall at that time
also enforce the order. The law enforcement officer's verbal notice
of the terms of the order shall constitute service of the order and
is sufficient notice for the purposes of this section and for the
purposes of Section 273.6 of the Penal Code.
(p) Nothing in this section shall preclude either party from
representation by private counsel or from appearing on the party's
own behalf.
(q) There is no filing fee for a petition, response, or paper
seeking the reissuance, modification, or enforcement of a protective
order filed in a proceeding brought pursuant to this section.
(r) Pursuant to paragraph (4) of subdivision (b) of Section 6103.2
of the Government Code, a petitioner shall not be required to pay a
fee for law enforcement to serve an order issued under this section.
(s) The prevailing party in an action brought under this section
may be awarded court costs and attorney's fees, if any.
(t) (1) A person subject to a protective order under this section
shall not own, possess, purchase, receive, or attempt to receive a
firearm or ammunition while the protective order is in effect.
(2) The court shall order a person subject to a protective order
issued under this section to relinquish any firearms he or she owns
or possesses pursuant to Section 527.9 of the Code of Civil
Procedure.
(3) Every person who owns, possesses, purchases, or receives, or
attempts to purchase or receive a firearm or ammunition while subject
to a protective order issued under
this section is punishable pursuant to Section 29825 of the
Penal Code.
(4) This subdivision does not apply in a case in which a
protective order issued under this section was made solely on the
basis of financial abuse unaccompanied by force, threat, harassment,
intimidation, or any other form of abuse.
(u) In a proceeding brought under paragraph (3) of subdivision
(a), all of the following apply:
(1) Upon the filing of a petition for a protective order, the
elder or dependent adult on whose behalf the petition has been filed
shall receive a copy of the petition, a notice of the hearing, and
any declarations submitted in support of the petition. The elder or
dependent adult shall receive this information at least five days
before the hearing. The court may, on motion of the petitioner or on
its own motion, shorten the time for provision of this information to
the elder or dependent adult.
(2) The adult protective services agency shall make reasonable
efforts to assist the elder or dependent adult to attend the hearing
and provide testimony to the court, if he or she wishes to do so. If
the elder or dependent adult does not attend the hearing, the agency
shall provide information to the court at the hearing regarding the
reasons why the elder or dependent adult is not in attendance.
(3) Upon the filing of a petition for a protective order and upon
issuance of an order granting the petition, the county adult
protective services agency shall take all reasonable steps to provide
for the safety of the elder or dependent adult, pursuant to Chapter
13 (commencing with Section 15750), which may include, but are not
limited to, facilitating the location of alternative accommodations
for the elder or dependent adult, if needed.
(v) Any willful disobedience of any temporary restraining order or
restraining order after hearing granted under this section is
punishable pursuant to Section 273.6 of the Penal Code.
(w) This section does not apply to any action or proceeding
governed by Title 1.6C (commencing with Section 1788) of Part 4 of
Division 3 of the Civil Code, Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 525)
of Title 7 of Part 2 of the Code of Civil Procedure, or Division 10
(commencing with Section 6200) of the Family Code. Nothing in this
section shall preclude a petitioner's right to use other existing
civil remedies.
(x) The Judicial Council shall develop forms, instructions, and
rules relating to matters governed by this section. The petition and
response forms shall be simple and concise, and shall be used by
parties in actions brought pursuant to this section.
(y) This section shall become operative on July 1, 2016.
SEC. 4.2. Section 15657.03 is added to the Welfare and
Institutions Code, to read:
15657.03. (a) (1) An elder or dependent adult who has suffered
abuse may seek protective orders as provided in this section.
(2) A petition may be brought on behalf of an abused elder or
dependent adult by a conservator or a trustee of the elder or
dependent adult, an attorney-in-fact of an elder or dependent adult
who acts within the authority of a power of attorney, a person
appointed as a guardian ad litem for the elder or dependent adult, or
other person legally authorized to seek the relief.
(3) (A) A petition under this section may be brought on behalf of
an elder or dependent adult by a county adult protective services
agency in either of the following circumstances:
(i) If the elder or dependent adult has suffered abuse as defined
in subdivision (b) and has an impaired ability to appreciate and
understand the circumstances that place him or her at risk of harm.
(ii) If the elder or dependent adult has provided written
authorization to a county adult protective services agency to act on
his or her behalf.
(B) In the case of a petition filed pursuant to clause (i) of
subparagraph (A) by a county adult protective services agency, a
referral shall be made to the public guardian consistent with Section
2920 of the Probate Code prior to or concurrent with the filing of
the petition, unless a petition for appointment of a conservator has
already been filed with the probate court by the public guardian or
another party.
(C) A county adult protective services agency shall be subject to
any confidentiality restrictions that otherwise apply to its
activities under law and shall disclose only those facts as necessary
to establish reasonable cause for the filing of the petition,
including, in the case of a petition filed pursuant to clause (i) of
subparagraph (A), to establish the agency's belief that the elder or
dependent adult has suffered abuse and has an impaired ability to
appreciate and understand the circumstances that place him or her at
risk, and as may be requested by the court in determining whether to
issue an order under this section.
(b) For the purposes of this section:
(1) "Abuse" has the meaning set forth in Section 15610.07.
(2) "Conservator" means the legally appointed conservator of the
person or estate of the petitioner, or both.
(3) "Petitioner" means the elder or dependent adult to be
protected by the protective orders and, if the court grants the
petition, the protected person.
(4) "Protective order" means an order that includes any of the
following restraining orders, whether issued ex parte, after notice
and hearing, or in a judgment:
(A) An order enjoining a party from abusing, intimidating,
molesting, attacking, striking, stalking, threatening, sexually
assaulting, battering, harassing, telephoning, including, but not
limited to, making annoying telephone calls as described in Section
653m of the Penal Code, destroying personal property, contacting,
either directly or indirectly, by mail or otherwise, or coming within
a specified distance of, or disturbing the peace of, the petitioner,
and, in the discretion of the court, on a showing of good cause, of
other named family or household members or a conservator, if any, of
the petitioner.
(B) An order excluding a party from the petitioner's residence or
dwelling, except that this order shall not be issued if legal or
equitable title to, or lease of, the residence or dwelling is in the
sole name of the party to be excluded, or is in the name of the party
to be excluded and any other party besides the petitioner.
(C) An order enjoining a party from specified behavior that the
court determines is necessary to effectuate orders described in
subparagraph (A) or (B).
(5) "Respondent" means the person against whom the protective
orders are sought and, if the petition is granted, the restrained
person.
(c) An order may be issued under this section, with or without
notice, to restrain any person for the purpose of preventing a
recurrence of abuse, if a declaration shows, to the satisfaction of
the court, reasonable proof of a past act or acts of abuse of the
petitioning elder or dependent adult.
(d) Upon filing a petition for protective orders under this
section, the petitioner may obtain a temporary restraining order in
accordance with Section 527 of the Code of Civil Procedure, except to
the extent this section provides a rule that is inconsistent. The
temporary restraining order may include any of the protective orders
described in paragraph (4) of subdivision (b). However, the court may
issue an ex parte order excluding a party from the petitioner's
residence or dwelling only on a showing of all of the following:
(1) Facts sufficient for the court to ascertain that the party who
will stay in the dwelling has a right under color of law to
possession of the premises.
(2) That the party to be excluded has assaulted or threatens to
assault the petitioner, other named family or household member of the
petitioner, or a conservator of the petitioner.
(3) That physical or emotional harm would otherwise result to the
petitioner, other named family or household member of the petitioner,
or a conservator of the petitioner.
(e) A request for the issuance of a temporary restraining order
without notice under this section shall be granted or denied on the
same day that the petition is submitted to the court, unless the
petition is filed too late in the day to permit effective review, in
which case the order shall be granted or denied on the next day of
judicial business in sufficient time for the order to be filed that
day with the clerk of the court.
(f) Within 21 days, or, if good cause appears to the court, 25
days, from the date that a request for a temporary restraining order
is granted or denied, a hearing shall be held on the petition. If no
request for temporary orders is made, the hearing shall be held
within 21 days, or, if good cause appears to the court, 25 days, from
the date that the petition is filed.
(g) The respondent may file a response that explains or denies the
alleged abuse.
(h) The court may issue, upon notice and a hearing, any of the
orders set forth in paragraph (4) of subdivision (b). The court may
issue, after notice and hearing, an order excluding a person from a
residence or dwelling if the court finds that physical or emotional
harm would otherwise result to the petitioner, other named family or
household member of the petitioner, or conservator of the petitioner.
(i) (1) In the discretion of the court, an order issued after
notice and a hearing under this section may have a duration of not
more than five years, subject to termination or modification by
further order of the court either on written stipulation filed with
the court or on the motion of a party. These orders may be renewed
upon the request of a party, either for five years or permanently,
without a showing of any further abuse since the issuance of the
original order, subject to termination or modification by further
order of the court either on written stipulation filed with the court
or on the motion of a party. The request for renewal may be brought
at any time within the three months before the expiration of the
order.
(2) The failure to state the expiration date on the face of the
form creates an order with a duration of three years from the date of
issuance.
(3) If an action is filed for the purpose of terminating or
modifying a protective order prior to the expiration date specified
in the order by a party other than the protected party, the party who
is protected by the order shall be given notice, pursuant to
subdivision (b) of Section 1005 of the Code of Civil Procedure, of
the proceeding by personal service or, if the protected party has
satisfied the requirements of Chapter 3.1 (commencing with Section
6205) of Division 7 of Title 1 of the Government Code, by service on
the Secretary of State. If the party who is protected by the order
cannot be notified prior to the hearing for modification or
termination of the protective order, the court shall deny the motion
to modify or terminate the order without prejudice or continue the
hearing until the party who is protected can be properly noticed and
may, upon a showing of good cause, specify another method for service
of process that is reasonably designed to afford actual notice to
the protected party. The protected party may waive his or her right
to notice if he or she is physically present in court and does not
challenge the sufficiency of the notice.
(j) In a proceeding under this section, a support person may
accompany a party in court and, if the party is not represented by an
attorney, may sit with the party at the table that is generally
reserved for the party and the party's attorney. The support person
is present to provide moral and emotional support for a person who
alleges he or she is a victim of abuse. The support person is not
present as a legal adviser and may not provide legal advice. The
support person may assist the person who alleges he or she is a
victim of abuse in feeling more confident that he or she will not be
injured or threatened by the other party during the proceedings if
the person who alleges he or she is a victim of abuse and the other
party are required to be present in close proximity. This subdivision
does not preclude the court from exercising its discretion to remove
the support person from the courtroom if the court believes the
support person is prompting, swaying, or influencing the party
assisted by the support person.
(k) Upon the filing of a petition for protective orders under this
section, the respondent shall be personally served with a copy of
the petition, notice of the hearing or order to show cause, temporary
restraining order, if any, and any declarations in support of the
petition. Service shall be made at least five days before the
hearing. The court may, on motion of the petitioner or on its own
motion, shorten the time for service on the respondent.
(l) A notice of hearing under this section shall notify the
respondent that if he or she does not attend the hearing, the court
may make orders against him or her that could last up to five years.
(m) The respondent shall be entitled, as a matter of course, to
one continuance, for a reasonable period, to respond to the petition.
(n) (1) Either party may request a continuance of the hearing,
which the court shall grant on a showing of good cause. The request
may be made in writing before or at the hearing or orally at the
hearing. The court may also grant a continuance on its own motion.
(2) If the court grants a continuance, any temporary restraining
order that has been granted shall remain in effect until the end of
the continued hearing, unless otherwise ordered by the court. In
granting a continuance, the court may modify or terminate a temporary
restraining order.
(o) (1) If a respondent, named in an order issued under this
section after a hearing, has not been served personally with the
order but has received actual notice of the existence and substance
of the order through personal appearance in court to hear the terms
of the order from the court, no additional proof of service is
required for enforcement of the order.
(2) If the respondent named in a temporary restraining order is
personally served with the order and notice of hearing with respect
to a restraining order or protective order based on the temporary
restraining order, but the respondent does not appear at the hearing,
either personally or by an attorney, and the terms and conditions of
the restraining order or protective order issued at the hearing are
identical to the temporary restraining order, except for the duration
of the order, then the restraining order or protective order issued
at the hearing may be served on the respondent by first-class mail
sent to the respondent at the most current address for the respondent
that is available to the court.
(3) The Judicial Council form for temporary orders issued pursuant
to this subdivision shall contain a statement in substantially the
following form:
"If you have been personally served with a temporary restraining
order and notice of hearing, but you do not appear at the hearing
either in person or by a lawyer, and a restraining order that is the
same as this temporary restraining order except for the expiration
date is issued at the hearing, a copy of the order will be served on
you by mail at the following address:____.
If that address is not correct or you wish to verify that the
temporary restraining order was converted to a restraining order at
the hearing without substantive change and to find out the duration
of that order, contact the clerk of the court."
(p) (1) Information on a protective order relating to elder or
dependent adult abuse issued by a court pursuant to this section
shall be transmitted to the Department of Justice in accordance with
either paragraph (2) or (3).
(2) The court shall order the petitioner or the attorney for the
petitioner to deliver a copy of an order issued under this section,
or a reissuance, extension, modification, or termination of the
order, and any subsequent proof of service, by the close of the
business day on which the order, reissuance, extension, modification,
or termination was made, to each law enforcement agency having
jurisdiction over the residence of the petitioner, and to any
additional law enforcement agencies within the court's discretion as
are requested by the petitioner.
(3) Alternatively, the court or its designee shall transmit,
within one business day, to law enforcement personnel all information
required under subdivision (b) of Section 6380 of the Family Code
regarding any order issued under this section, or a reissuance,
extension, modification, or termination of the order, and any
subsequent proof of service, by either one of the following methods:
(A) Transmitting a physical copy of the order or proof of service
to a local law enforcement agency authorized by the Department of
Justice to enter orders into the California Law Enforcement
Telecommunications System (CLETS).
(B) With the approval of the Department of Justice, entering the
order or proof of service into CLETS directly.
(4) Each appropriate law enforcement agency shall make available
information as to the existence and current status of these orders to
law enforcement officers responding to the scene of reported abuse.
(5) An order issued under this section shall, on request of the
petitioner, be served on the respondent, whether or not the
respondent has been taken into custody, by any law enforcement
officer who is present at the scene of reported abuse involving the
parties to the proceeding. The petitioner shall provide the officer
with an endorsed copy of the order and a proof of service, which the
officer shall complete and send to the issuing court.
(6) Upon receiving information at the scene of an incident of
abuse that a protective order has been issued under this section, or
that a person who has been taken into custody is the respondent to
that order, if the protected person cannot produce an endorsed copy
of the order, a law enforcement officer shall immediately attempt to
verify the existence of the order.
(7) If the law enforcement officer determines that a protective
order has been issued, but not served, the officer shall immediately
notify the respondent of the terms of the order and where a written
copy of the order can be obtained, and the officer shall at that time
also enforce the order. The law enforcement officer's verbal notice
of the terms of the order shall constitute service of the order and
is sufficient notice for the purposes of this section and for the
purposes of Section 273.6 of the Penal Code.
(q) Nothing in this section shall preclude either party from
representation by private counsel or from appearing on the party's
own behalf.
(r) There is no filing fee for a petition, response, or paper
seeking the reissuance, modification, or enforcement of a protective
order filed in a proceeding brought pursuant to this section.
(s) Pursuant to paragraph (4) of subdivision (b) of Section 6103.2
of the Government Code, a petitioner shall not be required to pay a
fee for law enforcement to serve an order issued under this section.
(t) The prevailing party in an action brought under this section
may be awarded court costs and attorney's fees, if any.
(u) (1) A person subject to a protective order under this section
shall not own, possess, purchase, receive, or attempt to receive a
firearm or ammunition while the protective order is in effect.
(2) The court shall order a person subject to a protective order
issued under this section to relinquish any firearms he or she owns
or possesses pursuant to Section 527.9 of the Code of Civil
Procedure.
(3) Every person who owns, possesses, purchases, or receives, or
attempts to purchase or receive a firearm or ammunition while subject
to a protective order issued under this section is punishable
pursuant to Section 29825 of the Penal Code.
(4) This subdivision does not apply in a case in which a
protective order issued under this section was made solely on the
basis of financial abuse unaccompanied by force, threat, harassment,
intimidation, or any other form of abuse.
(v) In a proceeding brought under paragraph (3) of subdivision
(a), all of the following apply:
(1) Upon the filing of a petition for a protective order, the
elder or dependent adult on whose behalf the petition has been filed
shall receive a copy of the petition, a notice of the hearing, and
any declarations submitted in support of the petition. The elder or
dependent adult shall receive this information at least five days
before the hearing. The court may, on motion of the petitioner or on
its own motion, shorten the time for provision of this information to
the elder or dependent adult.
(2) The adult protective services agency shall make reasonable
efforts to assist the elder or dependent adult to attend the hearing
and provide testimony to the court, if he or she wishes to do so. If
the elder or dependent adult does not attend the hearing, the agency
shall provide information to the court at the hearing regarding the
reasons why the elder or dependent adult is not in attendance.
(3) Upon the filing of a petition for a protective order and upon
issuance of an order granting the petition, the county adult
protective services agency shall take all reasonable steps to provide
for the safety of the elder or dependent adult, pursuant to Chapter
13 (commencing with Section 15750), which may include, but are not
limited to, facilitating the location of alternative accommodations
for the elder or dependent adult, if needed.
(w) Any willful disobedience of any temporary restraining order or
restraining order after hearing granted under this section is
punishable pursuant to Section 273.6 of the Penal Code.
(x) This section does not apply to any action or proceeding
governed by Title 1.6C (commencing with Section 1788) of Part 4 of
Division 3 of the Civil Code, Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 525)
of Title 7 of Part 2 of the Code of Civil Procedure, or Division 10
(commencing with Section 6200) of the Family Code. Nothing in this
section shall preclude a petitioner's right to use other existing
civil remedies.
(y) The Judicial Council shall develop forms, instructions, and
rules relating to matters governed by this section. The petition and
response forms shall be simple and concise, and shall be used by
parties in actions brought pursuant to this section.
(z) This section shall become operative on July 1, 2016.
SEC. 4.3. Section 15657.03 is added to the Welfare and
Institutions Code, to read:
15657.03. (a) (1) An elder or dependent adult who has suffered
abuse may seek protective orders as provided in this section.
(2) A petition may be brought on behalf of an abused elder or
dependent adult by a conservator or a trustee of the elder or
dependent adult, an attorney-in-fact of an elder or dependent adult
who acts within the authority of a power of attorney, a person
appointed as a guardian ad litem for the elder or dependent adult, or
other person legally authorized to seek the relief.
(3) (A) A petition under this section may be brought on behalf of
an elder or dependent adult by a county adult protective services
agency in either of the following circumstances:
(i) If the elder or dependent adult has suffered abuse as defined
in subdivision (b) and has an impaired ability to appreciate and
understand the circumstances that place him or her at risk of harm.
(ii) If the elder or dependent adult has provided written
authorization to a county adult protective services agency to act on
his or her behalf.
(B) In the case of a petition filed pursuant to clause (i) of
subparagraph (A) by a county adult protective services agency, a
referral shall be made to the public guardian consistent with Section
2920 of the Probate Code prior to or concurrent with the filing of
the petition, unless a petition for appointment of a conservator has
already been filed with the probate court by the public guardian or
another party.
(C) A county adult protective services agency shall be subject to
any confidentiality restrictions that otherwise apply to its
activities under law and shall disclose only those facts as necessary
to establish reasonable cause for the filing of the petition,
including, in the case of a petition filed pursuant to clause (i) of
subparagraph (A), to establish the agency's belief that the elder or
dependent adult has suffered abuse and has an impaired ability to
appreciate and understand the circumstances that place him or her at
risk, and as may be requested by the court in determining whether to
issue an order under this section.
(b) For the purposes of this section:
(1) "Abuse" has the meaning set forth in Section 15610.07.
(2) "Conservator" means the legally appointed conservator of the
person or estate of the petitioner, or both.
(3) "Petitioner" means the elder or dependent adult to be
protected by the protective orders and, if the court grants the
petition, the protected person.
(4) "Protective order" means an order that includes any of the
following restraining orders, whether issued ex parte, after notice
and hearing, or in a judgment:
(A) An order enjoining a party from abusing, intimidating,
molesting, attacking, striking, stalking, threatening, sexually
assaulting, battering, harassing, telephoning, including, but not
limited to, making annoying telephone calls as described in Section
653m of the Penal Code, destroying personal property, contacting,
either directly or indirectly, by mail or otherwise, or coming within
a specified distance of, or disturbing the peace of, the petitioner,
and, in the discretion of the court, on a showing of good cause, of
other named family or household members or a conservator, if any, of
the petitioner. On a showing of good cause, in an order issued
pursuant to this subparagraph in connection with an animal owned,
possessed, leased, kept, or held by the petitioner, or residing in
the residence or household of the petitioner, the court may do either
or both of the following:
(i) Grant the petitioner exclusive care, possession, or control of
the animal.
(ii) Order the respondent to stay away from the animal and refrain
from taking, transferring, encumbering, concealing, molesting,
attacking, striking, threatening, harming, or otherwise disposing of
the animal.
(B) An order excluding a party from the petitioner's residence or
dwelling, except that this order shall not be issued if legal or
equitable title to, or lease of, the residence or dwelling is in the
sole name of the party to be excluded, or is in the name of the party
to be excluded and any other party besides the petitioner.
(C) An order enjoining a party from specified behavior that the court
determines is necessary to effectuate orders described in
subparagraph (A) or (B).
(5) "Respondent" means the person against whom the protective
orders are sought and, if the petition is granted, the restrained
person.
(c) An order may be issued under this section, with or without
notice, to restrain any person for the purpose of preventing a
recurrence of abuse, if a declaration shows, to the satisfaction of
the court, reasonable proof of a past act or acts of abuse of the
petitioning elder or dependent adult.
(d) Upon filing a petition for protective orders under this
section, the petitioner may obtain a temporary restraining order in
accordance with Section 527 of the Code of Civil Procedure, except to
the extent this section provides a rule that is inconsistent. The
temporary restraining order may include any of the protective orders
described in paragraph (4) of subdivision (b). However, the court may
issue an ex parte order excluding a party from the petitioner's
residence or dwelling only on a showing of all of the following:
(1) Facts sufficient for the court to ascertain that the party who
will stay in the dwelling has a right under color of law to
possession of the premises.
(2) That the party to be excluded has assaulted or threatens to
assault the petitioner, other named family or household member of the
petitioner, or a conservator of the petitioner.
(3) That physical or emotional harm would otherwise result to the
petitioner, other named family or household member of the petitioner,
or a conservator of the petitioner.
(e) A request for the issuance of a temporary restraining order
without notice under this section shall be granted or denied on the
same day that the petition is submitted to the court, unless the
petition is filed too late in the day to permit effective review, in
which case the order shall be granted or denied on the next day of
judicial business in sufficient time for the order to be filed that
day with the clerk of the court.
(f) Within 21 days, or, if good cause appears to the court, 25
days, from the date that a request for a temporary restraining order
is granted or denied, a hearing shall be held on the petition. If no
request for temporary orders is made, the hearing shall be held
within 21 days, or, if good cause appears to the court, 25 days, from
the date that the petition is filed.
(g) The respondent may file a response that explains or denies the
alleged abuse.
(h) The court may issue, upon notice and a hearing, any of the
orders set forth in paragraph (4) of subdivision (b). The court may
issue, after notice and hearing, an order excluding a person from a
residence or dwelling if the court finds that physical or emotional
harm would otherwise result to the petitioner, other named family or
household member of the petitioner, or conservator of the petitioner.
(i) (1) In the discretion of the court, an order issued after
notice and a hearing under this section may have a duration of not
more than five years, subject to termination or modification by
further order of the court either on written stipulation filed with
the court or on the motion of a party. These orders may be renewed
upon the request of a party, either for five years or permanently,
without a showing of any further abuse since the issuance of the
original order, subject to termination or modification by further
order of the court either on written stipulation filed with the court
or on the motion of a party. The request for renewal may be brought
at any time within the three months before the expiration of the
order.
(2) The failure to state the expiration date on the face of the
form creates an order with a duration of three years from the date of
issuance.
(3) If an action is filed for the purpose of terminating or
modifying a protective order prior to the expiration date specified
in the order by a party other than the protected party, the party who
is protected by the order shall be given notice, pursuant to
subdivision (b) of Section 1005 of the Code of Civil Procedure, of
the proceeding by personal service or, if the protected party has
satisfied the requirements of Chapter 3.1 (commencing with Section
6205) of Division 7 of Title 1 of the Government Code, by service on
the Secretary of State. If the party who is protected by the order
cannot be notified prior to the hearing for modification or
termination of the protective order, the court shall deny the motion
to modify or terminate the order without prejudice or continue the
hearing until the party who is protected can be properly noticed and
may, upon a showing of good cause, specify another method for service
of process that is reasonably designed to afford actual notice to
the protected party. The protected party may waive his or her right
to notice if he or she is physically present in court and does not
challenge the sufficiency of the notice.
(j) In a proceeding under this section, a support person may
accompany a party in court and, if the party is not represented by an
attorney, may sit with the party at the table that is generally
reserved for the party and the party's attorney. The support person
is present to provide moral and emotional support for a person who
alleges he or she is a victim of abuse. The support person is not
present as a legal adviser and may not provide legal advice. The
support person may assist the person who alleges he or she is a
victim of abuse in feeling more confident that he or she will not be
injured or threatened by the other party during the proceedings if
the person who alleges he or she is a victim of abuse and the other
party are required to be present in close proximity. This subdivision
does not preclude the court from exercising its discretion to remove
the support person from the courtroom if the court believes the
support person is prompting, swaying, or influencing the party
assisted by the support person.
(k) Upon the filing of a petition for protective orders under this
section, the respondent shall be personally served with a copy of
the petition, notice of the hearing or order to show cause, temporary
restraining order, if any, and any declarations in support of the
petition. Service shall be made at least five days before the
hearing. The court may, on motion of the petitioner or on its own
motion, shorten the time for service on the respondent.
(l) A notice of hearing under this section shall notify the
respondent that if he or she does not attend the hearing, the court
may make orders against him or her that could last up to five years.
(m) The respondent shall be entitled, as a matter of course, to
one continuance, for a reasonable period, to respond to the petition.
(n) (1) Either party may request a continuance of the hearing,
which the court shall grant on a showing of good cause. The request
may be made in writing before or at the hearing or orally at the
hearing. The court may also grant a continuance on its own motion.
(2) If the court grants a continuance, any temporary restraining
order that has been granted shall remain in effect until the end of
the continued hearing, unless otherwise ordered by the court. In
granting a continuance, the court may modify or terminate a temporary
restraining order.
(o) (1) If a respondent, named in an order issued under this
section after a hearing, has not been served personally with the
order but has received actual notice of the existence and substance
of the order through personal appearance in court to hear the terms
of the order from the court, no additional proof of service is
required for enforcement of the order.
(2) If the respondent named in a temporary restraining order is
personally served with the order and notice of hearing with respect
to a restraining order or protective order based on the temporary
restraining order, but the respondent does not appear at the hearing,
either personally or by an attorney, and the terms and conditions of
the restraining order or protective order issued at the hearing are
identical to the temporary restraining order, except for the duration
of the order, then the restraining order or protective order issued
at the hearing may be served on the respondent by first-class mail
sent to the respondent at the most current address for the respondent
that is available to the court.
(3) The Judicial Council form for temporary orders issued pursuant
to this subdivision shall contain a statement in substantially the
following form:
"If you have been personally served with a temporary restraining
order and notice of hearing, but you do not appear at the hearing
either in person or by a lawyer, and a restraining order that is the
same as this temporary restraining order except for the expiration
date is issued at the hearing, a copy of the order will be served on
you by mail at the following address:____.
If that address is not correct or you wish to verify that the
temporary restraining order was converted to a restraining order at
the hearing without substantive change and to find out the duration
of that order, contact the clerk of the court."
(p) (1) Information on a protective order relating to elder or
dependent adult abuse issued by a court pursuant to this section
shall be transmitted to the Department of Justice in accordance with
either paragraph (2) or (3).
(2) The court shall order the petitioner or the attorney for the
petitioner to deliver a copy of an order issued under this section,
or a reissuance, extension, modification, or termination of the
order, and any subsequent proof of service, by the close of the
business day on which the order, reissuance, extension, modification,
or termination was made, to each law enforcement agency having
jurisdiction over the residence of the petitioner, and to any
additional law enforcement agencies within the court's discretion as
are requested by the petitioner.
(3) Alternatively, the court or its designee shall transmit,
within one business day, to law enforcement personnel all information
required under subdivision (b) of Section 6380 of the Family Code
regarding any order issued under this section, or a reissuance,
extension, modification, or termination of the order, and any
subsequent proof of service, by either one of the following methods:
(A) Transmitting a physical copy of the order or proof of service
to a local law enforcement agency authorized by the Department of
Justice to enter orders into the California Law Enforcement
Telecommunications System (CLETS).
(B) With the approval of the Department of Justice, entering the
order or proof of service into CLETS directly.
(4) Each appropriate law enforcement agency shall make available
information as to the existence and current status of these orders to
law enforcement officers responding to the scene of reported abuse.
(5) An order issued under this section shall, on request of the
petitioner, be served on the respondent, whether or not the
respondent has been taken into custody, by any law enforcement
officer who is present at the scene of reported abuse involving the
parties to the proceeding. The petitioner shall provide the officer
with an endorsed copy of the order and a proof of service, which the
officer shall complete and send to the issuing court.
(6) Upon receiving information at the scene of an incident of
abuse that a protective order has been issued under this section, or
that a person who has been taken into custody is the respondent to
that order, if the protected person cannot produce an endorsed copy
of the order, a law enforcement officer shall immediately attempt to
verify the existence of the order.
(7) If the law enforcement officer determines that a protective
order has been issued, but not served, the officer shall immediately
notify the respondent of the terms of the order and where a written
copy of the order can be obtained, and the officer shall at that time
also enforce the order. The law enforcement officer's verbal notice
of the terms of the order shall constitute service of the order and
is sufficient notice for the purposes of this section and for the
purposes of Section 273.6 of the Penal Code.
(q) Nothing in this section shall preclude either party from
representation by private counsel or from appearing on the party's
own behalf.
(r) There is no filing fee for a petition, response, or paper
seeking the reissuance, modification, or enforcement of a protective
order filed in a proceeding brought pursuant to this section.
(s) Pursuant to paragraph (4) of subdivision (b) of Section 6103.2
of the Government Code, a petitioner shall not be required to pay a
fee for law enforcement to serve an order issued under this section.
(t) The prevailing party in an action brought under this section
may be awarded court costs and attorney's fees, if any.
(u) (1) A person subject to a protective order under this section
shall not own, possess, purchase, receive, or attempt to receive a
firearm or ammunition while the protective order is in effect.
(2) The court shall order a person subject to a protective order
issued under this section to relinquish any firearms he or she owns
or possesses pursuant to Section 527.9 of the Code of Civil
Procedure.
(3) Every person who owns, possesses, purchases, or receives, or
attempts to purchase or receive a firearm or ammunition while subject
to a protective order issued under this section is punishable
pursuant to Section 29825 of the Penal Code.
(4) This subdivision does not apply in a case in which a
protective order issued under this section was made solely on the
basis of financial abuse unaccompanied by force, threat, harassment,
intimidation, or any other form of abuse.
(v) In a proceeding brought under paragraph (3) of subdivision
(a), all of the following apply:
(1) Upon the filing of a petition for a protective order, the
elder or dependent adult on whose behalf the petition has been filed
shall receive a copy of the petition, a notice of the hearing, and
any declarations submitted in support of the petition. The elder or
dependent adult shall receive this information at least five days
before the hearing. The court may, on motion of the petitioner or on
its own motion, shorten the time for provision of this information to
the elder or dependent adult.
(2) The adult protective services agency shall make reasonable
efforts to assist the elder or dependent adult to attend the hearing
and provide testimony to the court, if he or she wishes to do so. If
the elder or dependent adult does not attend the hearing, the agency
shall provide information to the court at the hearing regarding the
reasons why the elder or dependent adult is not in attendance.
(3) Upon the filing of a petition for a protective order and upon
issuance of an order granting the petition, the county adult
protective services agency shall take all reasonable steps to provide
for the safety of the elder or dependent adult, pursuant to Chapter
13 (commencing with Section 15750), which may include, but are not
limited to, facilitating the location of alternative accommodations
for the elder or dependent adult, if needed.
(w) Any willful disobedience of any temporary restraining order or
restraining order after hearing granted under this section is
punishable pursuant to Section 273.6 of the Penal Code.
(x) This section does not apply to any action or proceeding
governed by Title 1.6C (commencing with Section 1788) of Part 4 of
Division 3 of the Civil Code, Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 525)
of Title 7 of Part 2 of the Code of Civil Procedure, or Division 10
(commencing with Section 6200) of the Family Code. Nothing in this
section shall preclude a petitioner's right to use other existing
civil remedies.
(y) The Judicial Council shall develop forms, instructions, and
rules relating to matters governed by this section. The petition and
response forms shall be simple and concise, and shall be used by
parties in actions brought pursuant to this section.
(z) This section shall become operative on July 1, 2016.
SEC. 5. (a) Sections 3.1 and 4.1 of this bill incorporate
amendments to Section 15657.03 of the Welfare and Institutions Code
proposed by both this bill and Assembly Bill 494. It shall only
become operative if (1) both bills are enacted and become effective
on or before January 1, 2016, (2) each bill amends Section 15657.03
of the Welfare and Institutions Code, and (3) Assembly Bill 1081 is
not enacted or as enacted does not amend that section, and (4) this
bill is enacted after Assembly Bill 494, in which case Sections 3,
3.2, 3.3, 4, 4.2, and 4.3 of this bill shall not become operative.
(b) Sections 3.2 and 4.2 of this bill incorporate amendments to
Section 15657.03 of the Welfare and Institutions Code proposed by
both this bill and Assembly Bill 1081. It shall only become operative
if (1) both bills are enacted and become effective on or before
January 1, 2016, (2) each bill amends Section 15657.03 of the Welfare
and Institutions Code, (3) Assembly Bill 494 is not enacted or as
enacted does not amend that section, and (4) this bill is enacted
after Assembly Bill 1081, in which case Sections 3, 3.1, 3.3, 4, 4.1,
and 4.3 of this bill shall not become operative.
(c) Sections 3.3 and 4.3 of this bill incorporate amendments to
Section 15657.03 of the Welfare and Institutions Code proposed by
this bill, Assembly Bill 494, and Assembly Bill 1081. It shall only
become operative if (1) all three bills are enacted and become
effective on or before January 1, 2016, (2) all three bills amend
Section 15657.03 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, and (3) this
bill is enacted after Assembly Bill 494 and Assembly Bill 1081, in
which case Sections 3, 3.1, 3.2, 4, 4.1, and 4.2 of this bill shall
not become operative.
