CACI No. 3106. Physical Abuse - Essential Factual Elements (Welf. & Inst. Code, § 15610.63)
Judicial Council of California Civil Jury Instructions (2024 edition)
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3106.Physical Abuse - Essential Factual Elements (Welf. & Inst.
Code, § 15610.63)
[Name of plaintiff] claims that [he/she/nonbinary pronoun/[name of
decedent]] was physically abused by [[name of individual defendant]/ [and]
[name of employer defendant]] in violation of the Elder Abuse and
Dependent Adult Civil Protection Act. To establish this claim, [name of
plaintiff] must prove all of the following:
1. That [[name of individual defendant]/[name of employer defendant]’s
employee] physically abused [name of plaintiff/decedent] by [insert
applicable grounds for abuse];
2. That [name of plaintiff/decedent] was [65 years of age or older/a
dependent adult] at the time of the conduct;
3. That [name of plaintiff/decedent] was harmed; and
4. That [[name of individual defendant]’s/[name of employer
defendant]’s employee’s] conduct was a substantial factor in
causing [name of plaintiff/decedent]’s harm.
New September 2003; Revised December 2005, October 2008
Directions for Use
This instruction may be given in cases brought under the Elder Abuse and
Dependent Adult Civil Protection Act by the victim of elder physical abuse, or by
the survivors of the victim. If the victim is the plaintiff and is seeking damages for
pain and suffering, see CACI No. 3905A, Physical Pain, Mental Suffering, and
Emotional Distress (Noneconomic Damage) in the Damages series.
If the plaintiff seeks the enhanced remedies of attorney fees and costs, and in the
case of a wrongful death, the decedent’s pain and suffering, give CACI No. 3107,
Physical Abuse - Enhanced Remedies Sought, in addition to this instruction. (See
Welf. & Inst. Code, § 15657.)
If the individual responsible for the physical abuse is a defendant in the case, use
“[name of individual defendant]” throughout. If only the individual’s employer is a
defendant, use “[name of employer defendant]’s employee” throughout.
If the plaintiff is seeking enhanced remedies against the individual’s employer, also
give either CACI No. 3102A, Employer Liability for Enhanced Remedies - Both
Individual and Employer Defendants, or CACI No. 3102B, Employer Liability for
Enhanced Remedies - Employer Defendant Only. To recover damages against the
employer under a theory of vicarious liability, see instructions in the Vicarious
Responsibility series (CACI No. 3700 et seq.).
The instructions in this series are not intended to cover every circumstance in which
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a plaintiff may bring a cause of action under the Elder Abuse and Dependent Adult
Civil Protection Act.
Sources and Authority
• “Elder Abuse” Defined. Welfare and Institutions Code section 15610.07.
• “Dependent Adult” Defined. Welfare and Institutions Code section 15610.23.
• “Elder” Defined. Welfare and Institutions Code section 15610.27.
• “Physical Abuse” Defined. Welfare and Institutions Code section 15610.63.
• “The purpose of the [Elder Abuse Act] is essentially to protect a particularly
vulnerable portion of the population from gross mistreatment in the form of
abuse and custodial neglect.” (Delaney v. Baker (1999) 20 Cal.4th 23, 33 [82
Cal.Rptr.2d 610, 971 P.2d 986].)
Secondary Sources
6 Witkin, Summary of California Law (11th ed. 2017) Torts, §§ 1865-1871
Balisok, Civil Litigation Series: Elder Abuse Litigation, §§ 1:1, 9:1, 19:1 (The
Rutter Group)
California Elder Law Litigation (Cont.Ed.Bar 2003) §§ 2.69, 2.71
1 California Forms of Pleading and Practice, Ch. 5, Abuse of Minors and Elders,
§ 5.33[2] (Matthew Bender)
ELDER ABUSE & DEPENDENT ADULTS CACI No. 3106
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