California injury and civil rights guides

• Slip and fall in a government building
  Falls in city halls, courthouses, DMVs, libraries, schools and public garages are governed by Government Code 835 and a six-month claim deadline. Free case review.
• Slip and fall at a grocery store
  Grocery store falls turn on notice: what the store knew, when it knew, and what its own sweep logs show. Free case review, no cost for the report or the consultation.
• Slip and fall at Target
  Target falls are documented in a store incident report and usually captured on camera. The fight is over notice and whether a team member caused the hazard.
• Slip and fall at Walmart
  Walmart stores have wide camera coverage and documented cleaning routines. Both are obtainable, and both decide whether notice can be proven.
• School bullying and harassment claims
  What California and federal law require schools to do about bullying, which claims actually carry damages, and the deadlines parents have to meet.
• ADA and disability access violations
  Federal ADA claims can force a fix but not pay damages. California's Unruh Act and access statutes add statutory damages. How the two work together.
• Deaf civil rights and communication access
  Public entities and businesses must provide effective communication. What that means, where it fails most often, and what remedies exist in California.
• Failure to provide a sign language interpreter
  Hospitals, police, courts and government offices must provide a qualified interpreter. What the regulations require and what a claim can recover.
• Uber and Lyft crash claims
  Who pays after a crash in an Uber or Lyft: the driver's policy, the platform's million-dollar coverage, or your own uninsured motorist coverage.
• Wrongful death claims in California
  Who may bring a wrongful death claim in California, what damages the statute allows, how the survival action differs, and the deadlines that apply.
• Police excessive force claims
  How Fourth Amendment excessive force claims work under 42 U.S.C. 1983, what the Bane Act adds, and the six-month government claim deadline most people miss.
• Crashes involving Turo and app-based rentals
  Who answers for a crash in a Turo, Getaround or Eon rental: the driver, the vehicle owner, or the platform. The coverage layers and the Graves Amendment.
• Traumatic brain injury claims
  Mild TBI, concussion and post-concussion syndrome claims: what the imaging does not show, what neuropsychological testing proves, and what the defense will argue.
• Tremor and movement disorder claims
  Tremor claims after trauma, medication or toxic exposure: how causation is proven and what records decide the case.

How to use these

Start with the page that matches the place or the conduct, not the injury. A fall at a city office and a fall at a supermarket are both premises cases, but the defendant, the notice rule and the deadline differ: the government claim is measured in months. A crash in a rented car and a crash in a rideshare turn on different contracts and different policies.

The deadline that catches people

• California public entity: written claim within six months (Gov. Code § 911.2)
• Federal agency: administrative claim within two years (28 U.S.C. § 2675)
• Private defendant: two years (Code Civ. Proc. § 335.1)
• Rideshare and rental: two years for the tort, plus a shorter contractual notice period in your own auto policy

Common questions