Ex Says I Could Face Criminal Charges For Breaking Up With Him While He’s Sick — Is This Real? California

Long story short, my baby daddy and I separated. We were never married. I worked and paid all the bills. He didn’t work.

He doesn’t have family here and has been staying at a shelter. He got into a car accident and received $13,000 in settlement money, spent it all within a couple of months, and ran out of money. He says he has more settlement money coming in April.

He decided to move to Hawaii. Before he left, he told me he “can’t believe I did this to him” and that I “kicked him out to die on the streets.” He previously had sepsis in October 2024 and says he has post-sepsis syndrome and a traumatic brain injury from the car accident (concussion).

Now he’s telling me that I have a legal duty to help him in an emergency because of his serious health issues. He claims his homeless state case worker told him I could face legal consequences such as:

• Criminal negligence / reckless endangerment for knowing he was at serious risk and refusing to help

• Elderly/dependent neglect laws applying “analogously” because he’s medically vulnerable

• In extreme cases, involuntary manslaughter (failure to act despite known risk) if his condition worsens or he dies

• A potential civil claim for personal injury for failing to get him medical help

He has even said that if he dies out there, I could go to prison.

We share a child. Our child lives with me. I am stable and housed. I am not preventing him from seeking medical care. I am not his legal guardian, and we were never married.

Is there actually any legal basis for this? Or is this intimidation? He has bluffed and lied about legal things before, so I’m trying to figure out if this is real or just another scare tactic.

Location: California