Individuals can face criminal charges if they are accused of verbal abuse in Los Angeles. One charge used by the state is Penal Code §422: Criminal Threats. Individuals face PC 422 charges if they threaten someone with: An act of violence Physical harm According to PC 422, these threats are not always delivered in person. Individuals can make threats over electronic devices, orally, or in written form. Note that individuals should only face charges for criminal threats if they make a specific threat. Additionally, criminal threats must seem threatening to a reasonable person. Finally, making a criminal threat is a crime of intent. This means that individuals can face criminal charges even if they do not intend to harm another person. Making criminal threats is an example of a charge used in many domestic violence cases here in California. However, it can also be used in cases that do not involve domestic violence.