{"id":371815,"date":"2016-03-31T21:34:29","date_gmt":"2016-04-01T02:34:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/state\/california-law\/california-negligence-laws.html"},"modified":"2022-12-20T14:39:29","modified_gmt":"2022-12-20T19:39:29","slug":"california-negligence-laws","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/state\/california-law\/california-negligence-laws.html","title":{"rendered":"California Negligence Laws"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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California Negligence Laws<\/h1>\n
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\n By FindLaw Staff<\/a> | Legally reviewed by Garrett Monteagudo, Esq.<\/a>\n | Last updated\n
\n \n <\/i>\n Legally Reviewed\n <\/summary>\n\n
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This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy, clarity, and style by FindLaw\u2019s team of legal writers and attorneys<\/a> and in accordance with our editorial standards<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n\n

\n \n <\/i>\n Fact-Checked\n <\/summary>\n\n
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The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n<\/section>\n

When someone sustains an injury, who is at fault? Negligence is an act (or failure to act) when you owe a duty<\/a> to another individual. For instance, a customer who falls and breaks their arm after slipping on a spill that was not promptly cleaned up may have a negligence claim against the shopkeeper. Negligence definitions are not that different from one state to the next, although the degree to which negligence is shared (when both parties are partially at fault) varies. California negligence laws follow the legal doctrine of pure comparative negligence<\/a>, which allows a plaintiff to sue for the percentage of damages attributable to the defendant.<\/p>\r\n

In California, as in other states, the plaintiff must be able to demonstrate the following elements in order to prove negligence<\/a> on the part of the defendant:<\/p>\r\n