California · Penal Code
PEN §1447: When the defendant is acquitted in a misdemeanor or infraction case, if the court certifies in the minutes that the prosecution was malicious and without probable cause, the court may order the compla
What this law says, in plain English
When a defendant is acquitted in a misdemeanor or infraction case and the court finds the prosecution was malicious and without probable cause, the court may order the complainant to pay trial costs or provide a bond to pay them within 30 days.
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