Elders and dependent adults: abandonment.

Existing law, the Elder Abuse and Dependent Adult Civil Protection Act, provides for the award of attorney's fees and costs to, and the recovery of damages by, a plaintiff when it is proven by clear and convincing evidence that the defendant is liable for physical abuse or neglect, as defined, and the defendant has also been found guilty of recklessness, oppression, fraud, or malice in the commission of that abuse. This bill would extend those remedies to cases in which the defendant is liable for abandonment, as defined, and the above conditions have been met.