California Civil Code 1708.5 – (a) A person commits a sexual battery who does any of the …
(a) A person commits a sexual battery who does any of the following:
(1) Acts with the intent to cause a harmful or offensive contact with an intimate part of another, and a sexually offensive contact with that person directly or indirectly results.
Terms Used In California Civil Code 1708.5
- Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
- Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. Source: U.S. Courts
- Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.
(2) Acts with the intent to cause a harmful or offensive contact with another by use of the person’s intimate part, and a sexually offensive contact with that person directly or indirectly results.
(3) Acts to cause an imminent apprehension of the conduct described in paragraph (1) or (2), and a sexually offensive contact with that person directly or indirectly results.
(4) Causes contact between a sexual organ, from which a condom has been removed, and the intimate part of another who did not verbally consent to the condom being removed.
(5) Causes contact between an intimate part of the person and a sexual organ of another from which the person removed a condom without verbal consent.
(b) A person who commits a sexual battery upon another is liable to that person for damages, including, but not limited to, general damages, special damages, and punitive damages.
(c) The court in an action pursuant to this section may award equitable relief, including, but not limited to, an injunction, costs, and any other relief the court deems proper.
(d) For the purposes of this section:
(1) “Intimate part” means the sexual organ, anus, groin, or buttocks of any person, or the breast of a female.
(2) “Offensive contact” means contact that offends a reasonable sense of personal dignity.
(e) The rights and remedies provided in this section are in addition to any other rights and remedies provided by law.
(Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 613, Sec. 1. (AB 453) Effective January 1, 2022.)