In California civil litigation, false imprisonment occurs when one person intentionally restrains or confines another person without their consent and without legal justification. To prove a claim for false imprisonment, the plaintiff must show that they were intentionally confined to a limited area, either through physical force, threats, or other forms of coercion, and that they were not free to leave. The confinement must be without the plaintiff’s consent and must be unreasonable under the circumstances. False imprisonment does not require physical barriers; for example, locking someone in a room or using threats of harm can also constitute false imprisonment if the person is not able to leave freely.
California law does not require that the person be detained for a long period of time for the claim to be valid; even brief confinement can result in a claim if the other elements are met. Additionally, the plaintiff may not have to prove actual harm to their body, but they must establish that they were harmed emotionally or psychologically by the confinement. Defenses to false imprisonment claims include consent (if the plaintiff agreed to the confinement) or lawful authority (such as the police having the legal right to detain a person). If the plaintiff successfully proves their case, they may be entitled to compensatory damages for the harm caused by the imprisonment and, in some cases, punitive damages if the defendant acted with malice or egregious conduct.
