Elder Abuse Lawyer Serving Sacramento

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My father’s in-home caregiver in Sacramento is neglecting him. What can the family do about it?

Report it: a person who is not a mandated reporter and suspects an elder or dependent adult is being abused outside a long-term care facility may tell county adult protective services or local law enforcement (Welfare and Institutions Code section 15631(b)). The Law Offices of J. Chrisp serves Sacramento and handles many elder abuse cases.

Sacramento County’s Adult Protective Services hotline is (916) 874-9377, available 24/7. In an emergency, call 911. The firm offers a free consultation and works on a contingency fee, with no fee unless we win. Calls to 877-J-CHRISP (877-524-7477) are taken around the clock as well.

What Sacramento County Adult Protective Services handles

Sacramento County APS serves resident adults 60 and older, and dependent adults aged 18 to 59 who have a disability and cannot protect their own interests. It responds when these adults are subjected to neglect, abuse or exploitation. The county lists these types of abuse:

Physical abuse, including chemical restraint and over- or under-medication
Neglect, including self-neglect
Financial abuse
Abandonment
Isolation
Abduction
Psychological or verbal abuse

Non-emergency reports can also be filed online, but the county processes online reports only Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Abuse at a Sacramento care home

When the abuse is alleged to have happened in a long-term care facility, a person who is not a mandated reporter may report it to a long-term care ombudsman program, to local law enforcement, or to both (section 15631(a)).

For Sacramento County, the local ombudsman program is run by Agency on Aging Area 4, which also covers Nevada, Placer, Sierra, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba counties. It lists 916-376-8910 for concerns during office hours. Its program covers nursing homes, residential care facilities for the elderly, adult residential facilities and intermediate care facilities.

Who must report elder abuse in California

Under section 15630(a), anyone who has assumed full or intermittent responsibility for an elder’s or dependent adult’s care or custody is a mandated reporter, paid or not. So are administrators, supervisors and licensed staff of facilities that care for these adults. Care custodians, health practitioners, clergy members, and employees of county APS agencies and local law enforcement are also on the list.

A mandated reporter who observes, learns of or reasonably suspects abuse in a professional capacity or within the scope of employment must report it. The report goes by phone or through a confidential internet reporting tool, immediately or as soon as practicably possible. A phone report must be followed by a written or internet report within two working days (section 15630(b)(1)).

Abandonment, mental suffering and punitive damages

Section 15610.07 counts neglect and abandonment as abuse, along with other treatment that leaves an elder or dependent adult with physical harm, pain or mental suffering. Section 15610.05 defines abandonment as the desertion or willful forsaking of an elder or dependent adult by anyone who has care or custody of that person. The definition applies where a reasonable person would continue to provide care and custody.

Mental suffering means fear, agitation, confusion, severe depression or other serious emotional distress caused by intimidating behavior, threats or harassment (section 15610.53). It also covers distress caused by deceptive acts or false or misleading statements made with malicious intent to agitate, confuse or frighten the person.

Punitive damages are a separate question. Under Civil Code section 3294(a), a plaintiff in a non-contract case may recover them in addition to actual damages when the defendant’s oppression, fraud or malice is proven by clear and convincing evidence.

Offices and service area

The firm does not have an office in Sacramento. Its offices are:

Lower Lake (main office): 9667 Highway 29, Lower Lake, CA 95457, (707) 994-0529
Santa Rosa: 3558 Round Barn Blvd, Suite 200, Santa Rosa, CA 95403
San Francisco: 1330 Bush Street, Suite 9D, San Francisco, CA 94109

Its wider service area takes in Sonoma, Napa, Lake and Mendocino counties and the San Francisco Bay Area. The firm has staff who speak Spanish.

Frequently asked questions

Can a family member be held liable for reporting suspected elder abuse?

No civil or criminal liability results from a report the law authorizes, unless it is proven the report was false and the person knew it was false (section 15634(a)). That protection covers people who are not mandated reporters. Anyone who takes photographs of a suspected victim at their discretion is also protected for taking them and sending them with required reports. The protection does not extend to other uses of the photos.

What happens if a mandated reporter fails to report elder abuse?

Failing to report, or impeding a report, as section 15630 requires is a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in county jail, a fine of up to $1,000, or both (section 15630(h)). A higher penalty applies when a mandated reporter willfully fails to report and the abuse results in death or great bodily injury. It is up to one year in county jail, a fine of up to $5,000, or both.

Can a home care agency owe punitive damages for its caregiver’s conduct?

Only in limited cases. Under Civil Code section 3294(b), an employer is not liable for punitive damages based on an employee’s acts unless one of three things is true. The employer knew in advance the employee was unfit and hired them with conscious disregard of others’ rights or safety; it authorized or ratified the conduct; or it was itself guilty of oppression, fraud or malice. For a corporate employer, that knowledge or conduct must come from an officer, director or managing agent.

If an older parent or a dependent adult in your family was neglected or abused by a caregiver in Sacramento, call the Law Offices of J. Chrisp 24/7 at 877-J-CHRISP (877-524-7477) for a free consultation. There is no fee unless we win.

About the Law Offices of J. Chrisp

The Law Offices of J. Chrisp is a Northern California personal injury law firm founded by attorney Jesse Chrisp, who was raised in Lake County. The firm represents injured people, with offices in Lower Lake (main office), Santa Rosa and San Francisco, and serves Sonoma, Napa, Lake and Mendocino counties and the San Francisco Bay Area. Consultations are free, the firm works on a contingency fee with no fee unless the firm wins, and the phone is answered 24/7 at 877-J-CHRISP (877-524-7477). The firm was named to Best Law Firms 2026 (Tier 1, Santa Rosa, Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs). Jesse Chrisp has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America since 2024 and selected to Super Lawyers from 2023 to 2026.