Madison False Imprisonment Defense Lawyer

Under Wisconsin Statute 940.30, false imprisonment means intentionally confining or restraining another person without that person's consent and knowing you had no lawful authority to do it. No minimum length of time, locked door, or injury is required. Blocking a doorway, holding someone's arm during an argument, or not letting a passenger out of a car can all be alleged as confinement.

Yes. False imprisonment under Wisconsin Statute 940.30 is charged as a felony rather than a misdemeanor, so a conviction can carry prison exposure, supervision, and a permanent felony record that affects firearm rights, employment, housing, and professional licensing. Because the consequences reach well beyond the courtroom, these cases are worth examining closely on the evidence instead of resolving quickly to make them go away.

Yes. Wisconsin's false imprisonment law, Statute 940.30, focuses on confinement or restraint without consent, not on injury, so a person can face this felony charge even when nobody was hurt and nothing was broken. The absence of any injury still matters to the defense, because it can support a very different account of what actually happened during the incident.

In Wisconsin the decision to file and pursue charges belongs to the district attorney, not to the person who called police, so a complaining witness cannot simply drop the case. A request not to prosecute can matter, but prosecutors often continue using other evidence such as 911 audio and body camera video. If a no-contact order is in place, never reach out to that person yourself.

Wisconsin courts routinely impose no-contact conditions as part of bond after an arrest involving alleged confinement or a domestic incident. Violating that condition, even by a single text message or through a friend, can lead to a separate bail jumping charge and to your release being revoked. Conditions can sometimes be changed by motion, but only by the court, never by agreement between the two people.

You have the right to remain silent and the right to a lawyer, and in a confinement case those rights matter enormously, because intent and consent are proven largely through what people say afterward. Officers taking your statement are not deciding whether to believe you; they are gathering material for the prosecutor. Ask for a lawyer, then call one. Avena Law Office answers at 608.271.2271.