California Penal Code
Penal Code § 242 Battery
Defines battery as any willful and unlawful use of force or violence upon another person.
Statute text, verbatim
What the code actually says
The verbatim text for this section is being re-verified. Read it on the official California legislative site in the meantime.
Read on leginfo.legislature.ca.govReport readiness
What a report needs to survive this charge.
Knowing the code is the easy part. Cases get kicked when the narrative never documents an element the prosecutor has to prove.
Elements to document
- Willful touching of another person
- The touching was harmful or offensive
- The victim did not consent
- The act was not lawful self-defense or defense of others
Common report defects
- The touching itself is never described, only its effect
- Consent is not addressed in mutual-combat or crowd scenarios
- Injuries are noted without photographs or medical documentation
Abbreviated for reference. Report960 runs the full element and defect checklist against your narrative and quotes the exact passage behind every finding. This page is not legal advice.
Related sections
Charges that travel together.
Check a Penal Code § 242 report
Every element, checked.Every finding, quotable.
Paste or upload your narrative and Report960 flags the battery elements you left undocumented, grounded in the verbatim statute above.