Elders and dependent adults: abuse or neglect.

The document header changed from the enrolled bill format (showing Assembly and Senate passage dates, blank governor receipt fields) to the chaptered format showing 'STATE OF CALIFORNIA AUTHENTICATED ELECTRONIC LEGAL MATERIAL,' Chapter 433, and the approval date of October 7, 2025.

Page numbering changed from 'AB 251' references to 'Ch. 433' references throughout the document.

Procedural header updated from 'Amended in Senate June 23, 2025' to 'Passed the Assembly September 8, 2025' and 'Passed the Senate September 4, 2025,' reflecting final passage through both chambers.

Line-number annotations (line 1, line 2, etc.) removed from the statutory text in the enrolled version, which is standard formatting for final bill text.

Minor typo in the legislative counsel's digest corrected: 'residential care facility for the elderly elderly' changed to 'residential care facility for the elderly.'

Governor's approval block added at the end of the enrolled version, standard for bills sent to the Governor for signature.

The definition of 'spoliation of evidence' was expanded from 'intentional concealment or destruction of evidence' to 'intentional improper alteration of evidence or the intentional concealment or destruction of records, documents, or other evidence.' This adds alteration as a prohibited act and narrows the object of the prohibition to records and documents specifically.

A new subdivision (c)(2) was added requiring a judge to consider three specific factors when determining whether spoliation occurred: (A) destruction prior to expiration of a legally required retention period, (B) destruction in contravention of the party's own written records retention policy, or (C) destruction after receipt of a written directive to preserve relevant records.

References to 'evidence' throughout subdivisions (c) and (d) were changed to 'records, documents, or other evidence' for greater precision. The word 'Where' was removed from the opening of Section 15657 as a grammatical cleanup.

Adult community care facilities licensed under the California Community Care Facilities Act (Chapter 3, commencing with Section 1500, of Division 2 of the Health and Safety Code) are now included as facility types against which a court may apply a preponderance-of-the-evidence standard for elder abuse claims when spoliation of evidence is found. This broadens the bill's reach beyond just residential care facilities for the elderly and skilled nursing facilities.