Legal Question in Criminal Law in California

22 year old dating a 16 year old

My brother is dating a 16 year old. He is 22 years old. Is there a law that may get my brother in trouble. I love my brother and don't want him to get in trouble;. The girl that he is seeing has been in trouble before. I feel that my brother is just a rebound guy because she had just broken up with her other boyfriend. I want help him. My church youth pastor and head paster have ask him to keep his distance from ths girl because they now that she can cause trouble. He will not listen to either one of them or my parents. Should my parents sent him away to live with another family member and see how he does or is there anything else thatwe can try to help me. Please help me.


Asked on 6/16/04, 5:30 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Edward Hoffman Law Offices of Edward A. Hoffman

Re: 22 year old dating a 16 year old

While your brother's dating habits may be unseemly, there is nothing illegal about a 22-year old merely dating a 16-year old. If they have sex, though, he will potentially be facing a lengthy prison term -- and one in which he can look forward to some very unpleasant experiences courtesy of his fellow inmates.

As for the girl being trouble, well, there is nothing illegal about dating someone like that. While this may not comfort you much, I can assure you that there are plenty of women the same age as your brother who are at least as much trouble, and probably more. (And if you were wondering, the same is true of men.)

How you and your family deal with this situation is a personal decision and not a legal one, so there isn't much I can offer by way of guidance. You were wise to seek your pastor's advice before turning to this site, but if your brother isn't persuaded by the words of his family and his church then I doubt he will much care what a couple of lawyers write on a web page.

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Answered on 6/16/04, 7:03 pm


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