Aggressive West Palm Beach Assault And Battery Lawyer
Florida assault and battery charges carry serious consequences that can impact your freedom, career and personal relationships for years to come. Whether you face misdemeanor or felony allegations, having experienced legal representation protects your constitutional rights and helps build the strongest possible defense against these violent crime charges in West Palm Beach, Florida.
I am Daniel Lewin, and I have spent over a decade defending clients against assault and battery allegations throughout West Palm Beach. My background as a former public defender has given me invaluable insight into how prosecutors build cases and the most effective strategies for challenging their evidence.
How Does Florida Law Define Assault And Battery?
Florida law treats assault and battery as distinct criminal offenses with different legal elements. Simple assault under Florida Statutes involves intentionally threatening violence against another person while having the apparent ability to carry out that threat, creating reasonable fear in the victim.
Battery occurs when someone actually touches or strikes another person against their will or intentionally causes bodily harm. The key difference lies in physical contact – assault involves the threat of harm while battery requires actual physical contact or harm to occur.
Both charges can escalate to aggravated assault when defendants use deadly weapons, commit assault with intent to commit felonies or target protected individuals like law enforcement officers.
Understanding Misdemeanor Vs Felony Assault Charges
Simple assault typically constitutes a second-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to 60 days in jail and fines up to $500. Simple battery represents a first-degree misdemeanor carrying penalties up to one year in jail and $1,000 in fines.
Aggravated assault elevates charges to third-degree felony status with penalties including up to five years of imprisonment and $5,000 in fines. Aggravated battery can result in second-degree felony charges, which carry up to 15 years in prison depending on the specific circumstances and the defendant’s criminal history.
What Are The Long-Term Consequences?
Beyond immediate penalties, assault and battery convictions create lasting consequences including difficulty securing employment, housing restrictions, professional license revocation and damaged personal relationships. These collateral consequences often prove more devastating than criminal penalties themselves.
As your criminal defense attorney, I examine every aspect of your case to identify viable defense strategies including self-defense, defense of others, lack of intent and insufficient evidence challenges.
Get In Touch Today
Do not face Florida assault and battery charges alone. Contact The Lewin Law Firm, PLLC, today at 561-710-2819 or submit the contact form for a free consultation with an experienced West Palm Beach assault and battery lawyer.