California Law Library
California Penal Code

Penal Code § 273.5 Corporal Injury on a Spouse, Cohabitant, or Dating Partner

Makes it a felony to willfully inflict corporal injury resulting in a traumatic condition on a current or former intimate partner.

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.gov
Report 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
  • A qualifying relationship existed between suspect and victim
  • The suspect willfully inflicted corporal injury
  • The injury resulted in a traumatic condition
  • The act was not lawful self-defense
Common report defects
  • The qualifying relationship is stated as a label with no supporting facts
  • Visible injury is described but not photographed or documented
  • Prior incidents and dominant-aggressor analysis are omitted

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 § 273.5 report

Every element, checked.Every finding, quotable.

Paste or upload your narrative and Report960 flags the corporal injury on a spouse, cohabitant, or dating partner elements you left undocumented, grounded in the verbatim statute above.