cops always come in to mcdonalds asking for free food. thats stealing thru official oppression. yet they will arrest and beat up kids for loitering there.

if he ends up winning.. go rob his house and sue him for some thing stupid.

Well that is a bit much. Just scaring him away and calling the cops would be enough. It's not like he was threatening your life. Sorry, but YDI.

1) That's a really long username 2) Sorry, but YDI. That was a little too much. You should've just scarred him away and called the police. That only time what you dd would've been acceptable would be if he were a threat to your life, which, from your description, I doubt he was.

overboard much..?

97, 98, 99, you're all being ridiculous. this person violated the OP's home and was trying to steal all of his shit. you don't take mercy on someone who's doing that to you.

You are likely to have a lot of evidence on your side . . . for that matter, you could even win without a lawyer!

I'm a proponent of human rights, but you have to be realistic here... If you opened your door one day to see a random guy stealing your shit, what would YOU do? I would want to knock him out, too. And you know, maybe he did break the guy's nose, but at least he used non-deadly force. Sucks, OP, that you've got to get a lawyer, but unless you did more damage than the situation called for, you should be fine. Now, if it was just an "uninvited" person - like if you left your house unlocked - and not unlawful, then it's your fault.

if someone even trys to enter your house without permission you can shoot them if you feel you are in danger or your family is in danger.(California law) so technically a broken nose and restraints aren't over kill if you were fearful of great bodily harm or death. just hope you didn't beat him while he was down then that's excessive force.

You should have hit him harder. I dropped him off in the nearest lake.