California Penal Code. California

      236.6.

      (a) To prevent dissipation or secreting of assets or property, the prosecuting agency may, at the same time as or subsequent to the filing of a complaint or indictment charging human trafficking under Section 236.1, file a petition with the criminal division of the superior court of the county in which the accusatory pleading was filed, seeking a temporary restraining order, preliminary injunction, the appointment of a receiver, or any other protective relief necessary to preserve the property or assets. The filing of the petition shall start a proceeding that shall be pendent to the criminal proceeding and maintained solely to effect the remedies available for this crime, including, but not limited to, payment of restitution and payment of fines. The proceeding shall not be subject to or governed by the provisions of the Civil Discovery Act as set forth in Title 4 (commencing with Section 2016.010) of Part 4 of the Code of Civil Procedure. The petition shall allege that the defendant has been charged with human trafficking under Section 236.1 and shall identify that criminal proceeding and the assets and property to be affected by an order issued pursuant to this section.

      (b) The prosecuting agency shall, by personal service or registered mail, provide notice of the petition to every person who may have an interest in the property specified in the petition. Additionally, the notice shall be published for at least three successive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the county where the property affected by the order is located. The notice shall state that any interested person may file a verified claim with the superior court stating the nature and amount of his or her claimed interest. The notice shall set forth the time within which a claim of interest in the protected property shall be filed.

      (c) If the property to be preserved is real property, the prosecuting agency shall record, at the time of filing the petition, a lis pendens in each county in which the real property is situated that specifically identifies the property by legal description, the name of the owner of record, as shown on the latest equalized assessment roll, and the assessor’s parcel number.

      (d) If the property to be preserved consists of assets under the control of a banking or financial institution, the prosecuting agency, at the time of filing the petition, may obtain an order from the court directing the banking or financial institution to immediately disclose the account numbers and value of the assets of the accused held by the banking or financial institution. The prosecuting agency shall file a supplemental petition, specifically identifying which banking or financial institution accounts shall be subject to a temporary restraining order, preliminary injunction, or other protective remedy.

      (e) A person claiming an interest in the protected property or assets may, at any time within 30 days from the date of the first publication of the notice of the petition, or within 30 days after receipt of actual notice, whichever is later, file with the superior court of the county in which the action is pending a verified claim stating the nature and amount of his or her interest in the property or assets. A verified copy of the claim shall be served by the claimant on the Attorney General or district attorney, as appropriate.

      (f) Concurrent with or subsequent to the filing of the petition, the prosecuting agency may move the superior court for, and the superior court may issue, any of the following pendente lite orders to preserve the status quo of the property or assets alleged in the petition:

      (1) An injunction to restrain any person from transferring, encumbering, hypothecating, or otherwise disposing of the property or assets.

      (2) Appointment of a receiver to take possession of, care for, manage, and operate the assets and properties so that they may be maintained and preserved. The court may order that a receiver appointed pursuant to this section shall be compensated for all reasonable expenditures made or incurred by him or her in connection with the possession, care, management, and operation of property or assets that are subject to the provisions of this section.

      (3) Requiring a bond or other undertaking, in lieu of other orders, of a value sufficient to ensure the satisfaction of restitution and fines imposed pursuant to Section 236.1.

      (g) The following procedures shall be followed in processing the petition:

      (1) No preliminary injunction shall be granted or receiver appointed without notice to the interested parties and a hearing to determine that the order is necessary to preserve the property or assets, pending the outcome of the criminal proceedings. However, a temporary restraining order may be issued pending that hearing pursuant to the provisions of Section 527 of the Code of Civil Procedure. The temporary restraining order may be based upon the sworn declaration of a peace officer with personal knowledge of the criminal investigation that establishes probable cause to believe that human trafficking has taken place and that the amount of restitution and fines established pursuant to subdivision (f) exceeds or equals the worth of the property or assets subject to the temporary restraining order. The declaration may include the hearsay statements of witnesses to establish the necessary facts. The temporary restraining order may be issued without notice upon a showing of good cause to the court.

      (2) The defendant, or a person who has filed a verified claim, shall have the right to have the court conduct an order to show cause hearing within 10 days of the service of the request for a hearing upon the prosecuting agency, in order to determine whether the temporary restraining order should remain in effect, whether relief should be granted from a lis pendens recorded pursuant to subdivision (c), or whether an existing order should be modified in the interests of justice. Upon a showing of good cause, the hearing shall be held within two days of the service of the request for a hearing upon the prosecuting agency.

      (3) In determining whether to issue a preliminary injunction or temporary restraining order in a proceeding brought by a prosecuting agency in conjunction with or subsequent to the filing of an allegation pursuant to this section, the court has the discretion to consider any matter that it deems reliable and appropriate, including hearsay statements, in order to reach a just and equitable decision. The court shall weigh the relative degree of certainty of the outcome on the merits and the consequences to each of the parties of granting the interim relief. If the prosecution is likely to prevail on the merits and the risk of the dissipation of assets outweighs the potential harm to the defendants and the interested parties, the court shall grant injunctive relief. The court shall give significant weight to the following factors:

      (A) The public interest in preserving the property or assets pendente lite.

      (B) The difficulty of preserving the property or assets pendente lite where the underlying alleged crimes involve human trafficking.

      (C) The fact that the requested relief is being sought by a public prosecutor on behalf of alleged victims of human trafficking.

      (D) The likelihood that substantial public harm has occurred where the human trafficking is alleged to have been committed.

      (E) The significant public interest involved in compensating victims of human trafficking and paying court-imposed restitution and fines.

      (4) The court, in making its orders, may consider a defendant’s request for the release of a portion of the property affected by this section in order to pay reasonable legal fees in connection with the criminal proceeding, necessary and appropriate living expenses pending trial and sentencing, and for the purpose of posting bail. The court shall weigh the needs of the public to retain the property against the needs of the defendant to a portion of the property. The court shall consider the factors listed in paragraph (3) prior to making an order releasing property for these purposes.

      (5) The court, in making its orders, shall seek to protect the interests of innocent third parties, including an innocent spouse, who were not involved in the commission of criminal activity.

      (6)