If a lien or other encumbrance is recorded or filed against a public officer or employee in violation of Section 765.010, the state or local agency that employs the public officer or employee may provide counsel for the public officer or employee in an action brought pursuant to that section.
§ 765.060.Counsel Provided Public Officer Or Employee
Title 10. Actions In Particular Cases · Chapter 4. Quiet Title · Article 6. Liens and Encumbrances · Last amended 2016 · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 765.060 lets the state or local agency employing a public officer or employee targeted by a lien or encumbrance filed in violation of § 765.010 provide that officer or employee with counsel in the resulting action.
Full Text of § 765.060
Plain-English Summary
Public officers and employees are often the target of the harassing filings § 765.010 addresses, precisely because their official duties can provoke retaliation from people upset by an official decision. This section lets their employer step in to help.
If a lien or other encumbrance is recorded or filed against a public officer or employee in violation of § 765.010, the state or local agency that employs that person may provide counsel to defend the officer or employee in the action brought under that section — support that recognizes the lien was likely aimed at the person's public role, not a private dispute.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a government agency provide a lawyer for an employee targeted by a harassing lien?
Yes. Section 765.060 lets the state or local agency employing that officer or employee provide counsel in the action.
Does this apply only to liens filed against government employees specifically?
The counsel provision applies when the target of the violating lien or encumbrance is a public officer or employee; § 765.010 itself protects any person or entity from the underlying conduct.
Amendment History
Amended by Stats 2015 ch 208 (AB 1267),s 5, eff. 1/1/2016.
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
the Deering's California Codes Annotated / vLex. Enacted by the California Legislature.
Last verified July 28, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: counsel for public employee harassing lien california