Rizio and Nelson California Law Blog

The Tragedy of Vehicular Manslaughter

It is a fact of this life that one never knows when one’s life will end. You could be driving down the street one day, and without warning, BAM! It’s all over. It’s a disturbing thought, yes, but it’s something that happens all too often in this country. The death of Los Angeles Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart in April of this year is a stark reminder to the public of the tragedy...

Legal Issues – Caretakers

Any person who is a caretaker and commits a lewd act upon a dependent person by use of force, violence, duress, menace, or fear of immediate unlawful bodily injury on the victim or another person is guilty of a felony and shall be imprisoned in a state prison for three to eight years. Any person who commits a lewd act with sexual intent upon a child of 14 or 15 years, and is at least 10 years older...

Drug-Related Homicides

According to the Office of the Attorney General of California, the incarceration rates for drug-related crimes have been steadily on the rise. The last year recorded was 2005, which saw 39 drug-related homicides out of every 100,000 people. Alarming as this is, the high was in 1997, with 53.2 drug-related homicides. The rate had gone down to 31.4 in 2002, but began increasing again in the following...

Dog Bites Account For 33% of Claims…

Dogs cause insurance companies serious headaches. Dogs have long been called “man’s best friend,” and this is largely due to the dog’s loyalty and affection to man. This may not be as true as we once believed, as recent studies have proven that dog bites actually accounted for a full 1/3 of all homeowner’s insurance liability claims in 2008 alone. This number is astronomical,...

Workers’ Compensation

Workers’ compensation is the insurance benefit that employees receive if the employee is injured or becomes sick as a result of working for the employer. The employer has to pay this insurance. Employees have the right to receive prompt medical treatment for their injury or illness. They also have the right to temporary disability benefits for the time that they are unable to perform the duties...

When Do You Need A Worker’s Compensation Attorney?

In California, the laws regarding worker’s compensation have undergone dramatic changes over the past several years. While worker’s compensation remains an available service to many people, some may find they have a legal battle in their future in order to receive benefits. There are a number of reasons that a person may require an attorney who is specialized in worker’s compensation...

Sexual Crimes in California

Date Rape More often than not charges of date rape lack material witnesses and/or physical evidence. Many cases of “date rape” are spouses of the defendant being charged. It is essential to your defense that we are able to conduct thorough pre-trial investigation work including criminal history, psychological profiles, potential motives, and that we are able to ask questions of character...

Vehicular Homicide

California is famous for images of palm trees, sunset beaches, majestic mountains, and vineyards. You would think that Californians would be the most relaxed people in the world! Ironically, California is also famous for L.A. and Hollywood, two places where “fast as lightning” would be a better description of the speed at which people live. We’ve become a “I-can-do-it-all” society where...

Child Death – Suffocation

The greatest fear for any parent is the death of a child. Most parents and caregivers watch their children diligently, but the reality is that we can’t watch over them constantly. Even sleep can bring tragedy under the right (wrong) circumstances. Suffocation is the fourth leading cause of death in children. According to the National MCH Center for Child Death Review, the four top causes of...