Personal Injury Law Glossary

Negligence is the failure to exercise the degree of care that a reasonably prudent person would exer...

California's pure comparative fault system, established in Li v. Yellow Cab Co. (1975) 13 Cal.3d 804...

The statute of limitations is the legally mandated deadline for filing a civil lawsuit; missing the ...

Damages in a California personal injury case are the monetary compensation awarded to an injured pla...

Negligence per se is a doctrine under which a violation of a statute or regulation satisfies the neg...

A duty of care is a legal obligation to exercise reasonable care to avoid causing foreseeable harm t...

Proximate cause is the legal concept that connects a defendant's negligent act to the plaintiff's in...

Respondeat superior is a legal doctrine that holds an employer vicariously liable for the negligent ...

Strict liability is a legal doctrine that holds a defendant responsible for injury caused by their p...

The eggshell plaintiff rule is a California tort law principle that holds defendants responsible for...

MICRA is California's 1975 law governing medical malpractice claims, which caps non-economic damages...

The California Government Claims Act (Government Code Section 910 et seq.) requires an injured perso...

Punitive damages under California Civil Code Section 3294 are an award beyond compensatory damages w...

UM coverage pays for damages from drivers with no liability insurance; UIM coverage pays the differe...

A life care plan is a comprehensive expert document projecting the lifetime medical costs of a catas...

Subrogation is the legal right of an insurer or workers' compensation carrier that has paid a claim ...

Loss of consortium is a claim by the spouse or domestic partner of an injured person for loss of com...

The discovery rule is a California equitable doctrine that tolls the statute of limitations for late...

A demand letter is a formal written communication from an injured party or their attorney to the at-...

Proposition 51 is a 1986 California ballot initiative codified at Civil Code Section 1431.2 that mod...