California Government Code 13972 – (a) If a private citizen incurs personal injury or death or …
(a) If a private citizen incurs personal injury or death or damage to his or her property in preventing the commission of a crime against the person or property of another, in apprehending a criminal, or in materially assisting a peace officer in prevention of a crime or apprehension of a criminal, or rescuing a person in immediate danger of injury or death as a result of fire, drowning, or other catastrophe, the private citizen, his or her surviving spouse, his or her surviving children, a person dependent upon the citizen for his or her principal support, any person legally liable for the citizen’s pecuniary losses, or a public safety or law enforcement agency acting on behalf of any of the above may file a claim with the California Victim Compensation Board for indemnification to the extent that the claimant is not compensated from any other source for the injury, death, or damage. The claim shall generally show all of the following:
(1) The date, place, and other circumstances of the occurrence or events that gave rise to the claim.
Terms Used In California Government Code 13972
- Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
- Indemnification: In general, a collateral contract or assurance under which one person agrees to secure another person against either anticipated financial losses or potential adverse legal consequences. Source: FDIC
- Person: includes any person, firm, association, organization, partnership, limited liability company, business trust, corporation, or company. See California Government Code 17
- Spouse: includes "registered domestic partner" as required by §. See California Government Code 12.2
- State: means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Government Code 18
- Subdivision: means a subdivision of the section in which the term occurs unless some other section is expressly mentioned. See California Government Code 10
(2) A general description of the activities of the private citizen in prevention of a crime, apprehension of a criminal, or rescuing a person in immediate danger of injury or death as a result of fire, drowning, or other catastrophe.
(3) The amount or estimated amount of the injury, death, or damage sustained for which the claimant is not compensated from any other source, insofar as it may be known at the time of the presentation of the claim.
(4) Any other information that the California Victim Compensation Board may require.
(b) A claim filed under subdivision (a) shall be accompanied by a corroborating statement and recommendation from the appropriate state or local public safety or law enforcement agency.
(Amended by Stats. 2016, Ch. 31, Sec. 119. (SB 836) Effective June 27, 2016.)