California · Government Code

GOV §9414: (a) Any person who does any of the following is guilty of a misdemeanor: (1) Coerces or attempts to coerce any person not to appear as a witness before any committee.

Misdemeanor

What this law says, in plain English

It is illegal to coerce someone not to testify before a committee, or to threaten their employment because they are or may be a witness before a committee.

Read the full statutory text
(a) Any person who does any of the following is guilty of a misdemeanor: (1) Coerces or attempts to coerce any person not to appear as a witness before any committee. (2) Deprives, attempts to deprive, or threatens to deprive any other person, or requests any employer to deprive any employee, of lawful employment, when such deprivation, attempt, threat, or request is motivated by the fact that the other person or employee is, was, or may become a witness before a committee. (b) Any employer or person acting on behalf of an employer who, directly or indirectly, harasses any person employed by that employer, when the harassment is motivated by the fact that the employee is, was, or may be a witness before a committee, is guilty of a misdemeanor. (c) This section shall not be construed to prevent any employer from discharging an employee for cause nor shall it be construed to prevent a labor union or an agent thereof from requesting the dismissal of an employee when the request is motivated by a cause other than that specified herein.

Verify at the official source: California legislative text

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This page is legal information, not legal advice. Code text is sourced from official publications and may lag amendments — always confirm at the official source linked above. Plain-English summaries and relationship data are AI-derived and reviewed on an ongoing basis; verify with a licensed attorney before acting.