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If you’re in a situation where you have been charged with consensual sex with a minor, known as statutory rape, do you still have to register as a sex offender? This is a common question we are frequently asked. California Penal Code Section 261.5 PC is the statute that covers having sex with...

These cases are severe because California Penal Code 245(a)(1) assault with a deadly weapon is a strike.  You will serve a higher percentage of jail or prison time.  If you’re convicted of an assault with a deadly weapon, it’s a violent felony, so you don’t want to have it on your record if you can avoid it...

A protective order is a routine part of the criminal case when someone gets charged with domestic violence in Los Angeles County.  This protective order is not to be confused with a restraining order. A restraining order is a civil remedy.  If someone is harassing you or bothering you or if you’re...

When you’re talking about an attempted rape in California, you’re talking about a strike. You’re talking about a sex offense that will cause you to register as a sex offender for the rest of your life. So, the bottom line is, if you can get a not guilty verdict, that means everything.  How you get it, in short...

California Penal Code 459 PC burglary cases are charged all the time in Los Angeles, and especially now as I make this post, burglaries are happening all over the city.  The police are on the lookout.  They’ve got teams of officers, who all they do is deal with burglary cases. So, if you or a loved one has...

I’ve been defending California Penal Code 664/187 attempted murder cases for nearly 30 years in Los Angeles. The way you get a not guilty verdict is to take the case to a jury, and you can show that your client is innocent. It is interesting that I put that because technically, the prosecutors have to prove a...

Over the last 30 years as a criminal defense attorney, I’ve tried many California Penal Code 187 PC murder cases at the jury level.  I’ve negotiated many cases, as well, so I think I have a pretty good feel for getting that not guilty verdict. I’ll give you some examples, but I think the simplest way to get a not guilty...

I’ve tried many cases over the years, and I’ve had several California Penal Code 207 PC kidnapping cases go to a jury trial.  So, I think I have a pretty good idea of getting that not-guilty verdict. I’ll talk a bit about how I got a not-guilty verdict on a kidnapping case in Los Angeles, specifically in the court of...

I’ve been filing domestic violence cases now for approximately 30 years, and I think the short and simple answer as to how you could be found not guilty is if your attorney can convince a jury of your peers that you did not commit the crime. That takes a lot of things.  Even though that answer is quick...

A Pitchess motion involves getting information regarding police officers’ records related to bad behavior, which could occur in many different forms. It can be filing a false police report.  It can be roughing up a defendant in a criminal case.  It can be lying.  It can be an internal investigation related to...

Can Los Angeles police officers get themselves on what is known as the “Brady list?” These lists contain information about law enforcement members who are not strictly credible. It was initially created due to the Brady v. Maryland Supreme Court case results. This list has to do with those officers who...

This concept of prefiling has to do with you getting information that the police are investigating you.  Do you sit there and hope for the best?  Do you wait to see if the police come to talk to you?  Do you wait until they file a criminal case against you before you hire a criminal defense attorney? Having done...

I’ve been practicing now in San Fernando court for 30 years.  I started out working for the District Attorney’s office and then a Superior Court judge, and then in the early 1990s, I began defending people for DUIs just like you, handling cases in San Fernando court -- hundreds since the early 1990s...

I handle many cases in the LAX court in California because people, for one reason or another, are trying to board airplanes with guns, either in their luggage or mostly I see it in their carry-on luggage. There are all sorts of reasons why people bring guns on planes.  Most of the time, it’s because they screw up...

This issue of percentage of time served in jail for a criminal case in Los Angeles County is a big question that my clients ask me. Clearly, nobody wants to go to jail because it's a nasty place and the conditions inside the county jail are horrible. It's not supposed to be comfortable, it's alwa...

Will District Attorney's New Policies Protect You if You're Involved with a Gun Violence Case in Los Angeles? This is a good question because gun violence is on the rise.  It's all over the news that people are using weapons on the road with road rage, gang members are shooting people. People are...

One of the biggest problems for people is keeping their spirits up, keeping their faith up because they've lost control of their future once they're charged with a California criminal case. They could be facing jail or prison time, facing a criminal record, facing the loss of important...

I've been moving around in all of the Los Angeles criminal courts since the Coronavirus. The courthouses have only closed for one day. Otherwise, they've been open for a lot of different businesses.  As it currently stands, and on making this post in August 2021, we have a situation where the...

I definitely see an effect.  To a large degree, prosecutors have turned on the police now as well. Almost every day, I'm getting notices in the mail of police officers who have been convicted of California crimes and the prosecutors are turning that over. Further, there are also situations where police...

I've been defending attempted murder cases now for almost 30 years in the Los Angeles County courthouses, such as Van Nuys court, San Fernando court, and the other courthouses in the greater Los Angeles area and the San Fernando Valley. The best defense is someone who not only understands...

As many of you may not know, the Hedding Law Firm has been around since the 1970s when my father first started practicing. I later came along and I've been practicing now for the past 27 years.  I think the secret sauce is not only experienced but a well-rounded complete package-type experience...

How Will the Van Nuys District Attorney's Office Implement the New Los Angeles District Attorney's Policies? Right now, across Los Angeles county as the new year approaches, the new head Deputy District Attorney George Gascon has imposed a number of new crucial policies and there are prosecutors ...

Right now, because of the Coronavirus, the Supreme Court Justice of the California Supreme Court has ruled that all bail in Los Angeles county is zero.  There are some exceptions to this rule related to more serious cases like murder, sex crime cases, people who have strikes on their record. But ...

I had a case a number of years ago in downtown Los Angeles where my client was charged with murder.  He had been involved in a bar fight with another person and that other person actually waited outside for him and my client ended up stabbing him with a knife.  It was captured on video and there ...

I had a client once who was trying to drive to work and ended up getting in an accident with a motorcycle and the motorcycle driver died.  After a year-long investigation, prosecutors charged him with involuntary manslaughter under California Penal Code 192(b). He was looking at a criminal record...